No Wellwishers beer or liquor delivery...

[Marmarjudy]

with your attitude I would not change lines> There is no way you will be satified as you have already made up your mind about NCL. NMNita

 

 

Excuse me? I was asking about drink prices and also hoping for someone to encourage me to try NCL because my memory of NCL is wrong and doesn't apply now with the Freestyle. We have sailed the Grand class ships of Princess many times and are really hoping to find another option because there is no "Wow" factor anymore when we get on the ship: nothing to learn about or explore since we know the deck plan (and menus) by heart. I have done much research and the overwhelming majority says that the food on NCL (other than the fee restaurants) is not up to par with Princess--not a problem for us. A consideration/concern for us would be if the drink prices are ridiculous. We can (and do) openly carry on wine with Princess and take advantage of the "pay for 5 get 6" beer package delivered to the room. We also spend a lot on drinks and wine with dinner, so that factors into the overall consideration.

 

Geesh......

[WaldosPepper]

Judy, in defense of NMNita - I can understand why she made the assumption that you had already made up your mind. Below I've bolded the portion of your post that made me feel exactly what NMNita expressed ...

 

We are long time Princess cruisers and are (reluctantly) considering NCL for our next cruise, just for a change, because of the Freestyle dining. We feel this would be a step down from Princess--I have sailed NCL before. We already know that we will have to do the additional charge dining if we want an above average meal.

Now I read here that the drinks are overpriced for a mid priced cruise line.

So what are the prices?

We just sailed Princess:

house chardonnay is 4.50 plus tip--and it's decent wine

domestic beer is 3.50 plus tip

alcohol coffee drinks are 4.25 plus tip

A decent bottle of wine at dinner is well under $30

No apologies, but we drink, and if we have to pay for decent food and then pay more for the drinks, why should we do this?

Thanks,

Judy

 

Those are pretty strong statements, and perhaps came across in a way much different than you had intended. ;) I can assure you Nita had no intention of being rude - she's a very nice person.

 

Very sorry if some of us misinterpreted what you said. Many of us feel rather passionate about NCL, and perhaps we jump to the defense. I know I'm guilty of it! :eek:

 

Whatever you decide, I hope your next cruise is wonderful.

[kabookie]

Having followed this thread for a while, IMO the best solution for drinks would be for NCL to create a drink card, similar to a soda card, which would be good for 10 or 20 mixed drinks (depending on the cruise length) at a discounted price - maybe 20% less than the bar price. This would guarantee them volume business from customers, and would go far in making us feel we aren't getting ripped off, and less apt to "smuggle" our own.

 

I don't mind paying the same price I would pay in a restaurant at home, but the prices listed in this thread are higher than that.

[beachchick]

Just an observation of the obvious here..."enforce these rules"...isn't this really the bottom line for all of this? This discussion has been discussed to death for years and the bottom line has been and will always be that NCL has a liquor policy in place (as do most cruise lines) and NCL seems to be the only one more strictly enforcing their rule. They're allowed. It's their company; their rules. If I don't like their rules, I'll go somewhere else. If NCL 's OK with that, then shouldn't all of us? If we know that NCL is willing to say to us, "You can't bring your booze on my ship. Period." Isn't it then up to me to decide if I want to live by those rules? If I can't, I go somewhere else. Instead we've got what amounts to seminars on this board about the most clever way to smuggle alcohol.

 

The way I see it...it doesn't matter how logical or illogical NCL is in their liquor policy. It's THEIR policy and since it's their ship, they make the rules. Sure...there are definite arguments for why the policy is a bad idea or why it's a good idea but none of that matters because they've set their policy and that's how it is. If you disasgree with the policy and it's enough to turn you off NCL, then NCL will have to deal with the outcome of their bad rule. But as long as ships are sailing full, I don't see why they'd change their policy.

 

I don't mean this as a flame, but why the lecture? I've always acknowledged that the cruise lines get to make their rules and enforce them as they see fit. (Well, okay, if they resorted to strip searches I might have some serious objections.) Of course I know this has been discussed to death--and will no doubt continue to be long after we are all but a faint memory in the cruise heavens.

 

My opinions on the rules are simply that, opinions. It doesn't mean that I don't follow them or think that the cruise lines have no right to have the rules. We've NEVER tried to sneak hard liquor onboard, and we ALWAYS put our wine in clearly labeled wine shipping boxes, and pay the corkage fee without complaint when it's charged. You will notice that I've also never given any "tips" or suggestions on how to smuggle alcohol onboard. I don't think I'm somehow morally superior to those who do, but it's not something that we would even consider.

 

What I do take issue with is when posters compare a cruise to going to a bar or to a restaurant or on an airplane--taking only one aspect of cruising as a comparison. That is something that does bug me because a cruise ship is not just a bar or restaurant or means of transport.

 

Actually, I think VoyageVirgin has made the best comparison I've seen: train travel compared to cruising is much closer than anything else mentioned, including resorts, which is what I usually use. It may be oranges to tangerines (nice, I like that), and cruises certainly are unique, but it's more accurate than other examples.

 

beachchick

[Don Haynes]

And yes, I have seen passengers on trains drink booze from a brown paper bag in the public areas AGAINST the rules, in the coach and lounge cars. And yes, I have seen conductors toss the drunks off at the next stop, they are not confused by the brown paper bag. And every time, the train loses up to an hour on its schedule, because the drunk refuses to leave and the condutor has to call the local police to have the drunk removed..... Only the first class customers can drink their booze they brought on the train in their cabins.... Otherwise the booze must be purchased onboard the train.

 

Believe it or not, most towns and cities have laws standing on the books what to do with intoxicated people out on their public streets.....

[Retired not Expired]

Judy, in defense of NMNita - I can understand why she made the assumption that you had already made up your mind. Below I've bolded the portion of your post that made me feel exactly what NMNita expressed ...

 

 

 

Those are pretty strong statements, and perhaps came across in a way much different than you had intended. ;) I can assure you Nita had no intention of being rude - she's a very nice person.

 

Very sorry if some of us misinterpreted what you said. Many of us feel rather passionate about NCL, and perhaps we jump to the defense. I know I'm guilty of it! :eek:

 

Whatever you decide, I hope your next cruise is wonderful.

 

I agree. I didn't try to answer this poster because of the things you highlighted and when I read it, thought the same thing Nina wrote.

 

If you go in expecting it to be a step down rather than just a different experience, then it's probably not your best choice.

[Host CMLA]

I don't mean this as a flame, but why the lecture?

That's funny. You think I wrote a lecture so you responded with a lecture. :D Actually...I didn't lecture. I gave my opinion, as you did. You misconstrued it as a lecture. And just because I quoted a part of your post that doesn't mean my comments were directed to you and only you.

[bonnie voyage]

Anybody know why NCL won't provide bar set-up on Pride of Aloha???

[shoreguy]

Anybody know why NCL won't provide bar set-up on Pride of Aloha???

 

Did not know they will not. You may want to ask again. Never take no until you get it 3 times:D

 

If it is the case it may be the fact they can not get duty/tax free booze to supply the order. If they did offer it it would nave to be more expensice.

[newmexicoNita]

Excuse me? I was asking about drink prices and also hoping for someone to encourage me to try NCL because my memory of NCL is wrong and doesn't apply now with the Freestyle. We have sailed the Grand class ships of Princess many times and are really hoping to find another option because there is no "Wow" factor anymore when we get on the ship: nothing to learn about or explore since we know the deck plan (and menus) by heart. I have done much research and the overwhelming majority says that the food on NCL (other than the fee restaurants) is not up to par with Princess--not a problem for us. A consideration/concern for us would be if the drink prices are ridiculous. We can (and do) openly carry on wine with Princess and take advantage of the "pay for 5 get 6" beer package delivered to the room. We also spend a lot on drinks and wine with dinner, so that factors into the overall consideration.

 

Geesh......

Judy I didn't mean for you to get so upset, but you have implied you are already not happy with NCL before you have even been on the ship. I would tell a client the same thing, with your mind made up: drinks are too high, food is just fair, etc it seems you might be able to find a better match and that is what cruising or any vacation is about: matching the person with the product. I have had horrible experiences with Princess (customer service) but this doesn't mean I have formed an opinion of the line nor do I try and steer clients away from the line. Some of my clients will only sail one line; some love NCL, some not. If I had a client that had only sailed Radisson and loved it, I certainly would not try to sell them on NCL. If they wanted to try the line, I would be glad to sell it to them. That was my point: BTW you may want to jump over to Celebrity board. There is someone complaining cause the cheapest glass of wine they got last month was $11.00 a glass. I do know Princess is less expensive on their drinks: don't be surprised if the next time you cruise them they have upped their prices.

 

BTW, if you are looking for the "WOW" factor you may be disappointed. After so many cruises or so many of anything those feelings seem to get lost. This does not mean the thrill of cruising is lost, but that special feeling mellows. nmnita

[Marmarjudy]

Judy I didn't mean for you to get so upset, but you have implied you are already not happy with NCL before you have even been on the ship. I would tell a client the same thing, with your mind made up: drinks are too high, food is just fair, etc it seems you might be able to find a better match and that is what cruising or any vacation is about: matching the person with the product. I have had horrible experiences with Princess (customer service) but this doesn't mean I have formed an opinion of the line nor do I try and steer clients away from the line. Some of my clients will only sail one line; some love NCL, some not. If I had a client that had only sailed Radisson and loved it, I certainly would not try to sell them on NCL. If they wanted to try the line, I would be glad to sell it to them. That was my point: BTW you may want to jump over to Celebrity board. There is someone complaining cause the cheapest glass of wine they got last month was $11.00 a glass. I do know Princess is less expensive on their drinks: don't be surprised if the next time you cruise them they have upped their prices.

 

BTW, if you are looking for the "WOW" factor you may be disappointed. After so many cruises or so many of anything those feelings seem to get lost. This does not mean the thrill of cruising is lost, but that special feeling mellows. nmnita

 

Okay, maybe I came on a little strong in my first post, but I also took the reply wrong. Maybe you need to understand that the only way my husband will cruise (and it is also my preference) is with a freestyle/anytime dining approach. I have sailed over 20 times, he has sailed 10 or 11. We loved Celebrity, but it was the Celebrity pre RCCL and the specified dining times and stuffiness was a negative. My husband HATES regimentation and assigned times for dining, and we want a table for two. We discovered Princess a little over 3 years ago, on a cruise that I thought was my last chance to get him on a cruise--he only agreed for our 35th anniversary. The anytime dining won him over, as well as the decent food.... we just got off our 6th Princess cruise and have had a wonderful time on all of them. Cruising is now our vacation of choice. I am thrilled because thought at one time my only future cruises would be with my sister.

 

I am looking for an option for a change for us and, of course, am weighing all the pros and cons of trying NCL, since that is really our ONLY option for the non regimentated dining. We enjoy good food, and won't mind if we have to pay for the restaurants. Drink and wine prices are a consideration but won't be a deal breaker--I just want to know ahead of time.

 

Does this help? I'm really an experienced cruiser and a pretty nice person :-)

Judy

[electricron]

If there is an NCL ship going where you want to go, go ahead and give NCL a try. It will not be a disaster! Your husband will enjoy NCL's brand of Freestyle Dining. If afterwards you still prefer Princess, book all your future cruises with Princess. But it never hurts to try any cruise line once, you might like NCL better, if that's what you wish to do.

[beachchick]

That's funny. You think I wrote a lecture so you responded with a lecture. :D Actually...I didn't lecture. I gave my opinion, as you did. You misconstrued it as a lecture. And just because I quoted a part of your post that doesn't mean my comments were directed to you and only you.

 

:D Yeah, that is the hard part about online communications. We can never get a real "picture" or hear the tone of voice. And of course, one must respond to a lecture with another lecture...otherwise, we'd never have these threads with 500+ posts.;) (BTW, I've had the same thing happen when I've quoted part of someone's post, even though the response wasn't meant solely for that person. Then of course, the other poster responds as if it was, and there you go. I've taken to writing "this is not directed at whomever-I'm-quoting" so that there's no confusion. Oh well, I guess no communication medium is perfect.)

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

Anybody know why NCL won't provide bar set-up on Pride of Aloha???

 

I can't give you a direct answer, but I can tell you that restaurants in Hawaii are not allowed to have customers bring their own wine and pay a corkage fee. That may be part of the issue. I don't know that it's related, but I wouldn't be surprised.

 

beachchick

[CPT Trips]

It does in fact have effect on passenger safety and NCL liability. It is not the number one reason but an important one why all the main stream lines have a no carry on alcohol policy.

 

If someone gets stupid drunk and falls overboard who are they going after. They have no control of consumption with the 1.5 liter of rum in the cabin. If they show they are making a true effort to prevent passengers from bringing it onboard they can use that to defend themselves.

 

If they have a rule but clearly just look the other way they are at risk.

 

Anyone want to discuss the "Animal House" Spirit cruise last spring:eek:

 

As I have posted over and over - a few have ruined a good thing for the rest of us.

 

By passenger safety, I was referring to something you do which has a foreseeable effect on the other passengers . . . burning candles or having an iron in the cabin.

I have seen a number (OK a small percentage of the total) of passengers who are "stupid drunk" get back on the ship after a booze cruise provided by the shore excursion desk, as well as "falling down drunks" in the late night entertainment venues. They sure do not have a problem with multi-liter bar set ups . . . and they have no control over how "pie faced drunk" passengers can get with that.

It seems to me like they just look the other way when their bottom line is enhanced by selling a product. Or, by mass bookings that they should reasonably know are for "Delta" members.

I think we both agree that moderation is the key . . . and there are some fellow passengers that have no clue as to what moderation means. If that were not the case, there would be a lot less traffic on this board. Kids running amok on the elevators, seniors whacking others with canes, chaisse hogs, showroom seat savers, kiddies *****ing in the pool, and the liswt goes on and on and on!

[L0204]

Being cheap is not the issue.......I book suites......I like to relax......invite friends over.....have dinner in my cabin......whatever. I don`t smuggle. I order a bar set-up even tho some people think it is way too expensive. Why?........I like the option of drinking a drink ,that I have made my way, in my cabin;)

 

We feel the same way - pay the $ for the choice..... we did the bar setup on the Jewel last week, and found it to be an excellent combination of being able to have a drink in the room, but also ordered drinks in the bars.

[Mekamax]

Judy - I was really discouraged before I went - wanted to try something new and the freestyle - but all these posts got me down but let me tell you that NCL was great and I really liked them and it was worth the try. Have a great time! I'm with you - I've been on 19 cruises but just wanted a change and NCL DID fit the bill in the end. Have fun! Debbie

[garycarla]

I really hope the PERSONAL bickering goes away. It is hard to read the good postings.

 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. As mentioned by some others, you can get some packages. I notice they always include "sparkling" wine. Do they give you an option, and maybe get some chardonnay? Hate that bubbly stuff.