What’s included on other lines that’s an extra charge on NCL?

[sparks1093]

14 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

No it doesn't nor did I say it did when I was responding to another poster, but it shows others that not everyone has had the same bad experience as you.

The poster you responded to was responding to me so your reply was, by extension, a reply to that conversation. I would hope that not everyone would have the same experience that I had.

[squick64]

I've been on RCCL once (soon to be twice), and they charge for drinks packages, internet, a lot of activities (cupcake decorating and stuff), ship tours, and so on. There's always another e-mail in my inbox with the latest special offer to get me to buy another thing. Basically, all the inexpensive, mainstream lines charge for a lot of the "extras"--it's how it balances out.

 

The only lines that don't charge anything beyond the cruise, port fees, and really over-the-top purchases like Dom Perignon and personal helicopter tours are the ones that charge you 5 figures or so to board and have all-suite ships.

 

Of course, some of the nickel-and-dime pricings are used as a form of supply-and-demand control, like when NCL starting charging for Margaritaville because everyone was complaining about hour-long lines.

 

What's worth paying for and what line is worth using is up to the cruiser, and opinions--well, we all have them, and they're all different. I've sailed with NCL more than with anyone else. There are a number of things I like about how they do things versus how, say, RCCL does things, but the reverse is also true. The perfect line doesn't exist, really, as it'd combine features from various lines. 🙂

 

As far as food... Again, this is based on my limited experience with RCCL, but I was surprisingly disappointed by their specialty restaurants. Like, really. The MDR was actually pretty good, but the specialties were lackluster at BEST. On NCL, I've had the opposite experience. I've had nice MDR meals on NCL, but I've also had medicore experiences. Meanwhile, I'm in their specialty restaurants for at least half the cruise. So they're able to successfully nickel-and-dime me out of dining money, anyway. My next one with them includes 3 nights free, and I'm going to probably buy 7 or 8 more--and that doesn't include Food Republic. 🙂 (I only ate in La Cucina once because I'm not really an Italian food person that much...I'm of no use reviewing it for the same reason, but I didn't find it exciting or particularly worth it.)

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

The gratuities on anything they give you that they say are FREE. They are not. You must pay the gratuities on all of there FREE offers. Other lines do not do that. FREE is FREE Well not really. They are included with your cruise cost.

[Warm Breezes]

9 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

The gratuities on anything they give you that they say are FREE. They are not. You must pay the gratuities on all of there FREE offers. Other lines do not do that. FREE is FREE Well not really. They are included with your cruise cost.

I don't consider anything as "Free".  It is either included in the cruise cost or you pay an extra fee for it.  On NCL, Promos are included in your cruise cost and you pay extra for gratuities.  Other lines may handle that differently.  The key is to make sure you compare apples to apples when you compare ships and know what is included in your cruise cost and what you need to pay extra for.  Research is our friend and that knowledge is the best way to find the cruise that is right for you at the "total" price you are willing to pay.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Yes that is correct. The best deal is only the bottom line. 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

However. i will never cruise on NCL because of it. Anytime I check on there price. After adding the gratuities, it is no longer a good price. Went to book. Got the price and agreed. Noting was shown or mentioned about the gratuities. Gave my deposit and when I received the invoice AFTER giving the deposit. I saw the gratuities added for the FREE perks. Very sneaky. I immediately cancelled. Beware of the unexpected. At least on other lines I get the actual total amount I am expected to pay in the quote. Lately I have noticed TAs indicating it on their website.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Just did a quick price check on the NCL OV cabin lowest price $1,300.00 fro 7 nights.

Here is the offer.

Oceanview Offer! Book select categories and receive a FREE $25 per cabin onboard credit plus choose two of the following offers (service charges are additional):
1. Free Unlimited Open Bar for two
2. Free Specialty Dining for two; includes 3 meal(s) at select specialty restaurants onboard
3. Free Wifi; 250 minutes of free internet
4. $50 per cabin shore excursion credit per port (starting port not included)

 

Now they call it a service charge and no mention on how much.

Not a good deal especially after adding ther so called service charges.

Same price or less on other lines that include 3 perks and offer excellent OBC

[perditax]

For what it’s worth, Virgin Voyages cabin prices include soda, WiFi, gratuities and all speciality dining. So they say, so far.

 

So far they do not offer drinks packages, but they say their drinks will be reasonably priced. I guess we’ll see how it all plays out.

 

[navybankerteacher]

Unfortunately NCL has, with their clever advertising, dumbed down a large part of the cruising population.  They actually have people referring to the drinks package, or alternative dining package, or whatever package as “FREE” - because they have included it as part of the fare.    Then they drop the other shoe - they include a large mandatory service charge (which somehow upsets people)  who foolishly believed the first dose of “FREE” BS. 

 

Of course NCL wants a dumbed down population on their ships - it is easier to pick their pockets.

[Warm Breezes]

15 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

Just did a quick price check on the NCL OV cabin lowest price $1,300.00 fro 7 nights.

Here is the offer.

Oceanview Offer! Book select categories and receive a FREE $25 per cabin onboard credit plus choose two of the following offers (service charges are additional):
1. Free Unlimited Open Bar for two
2. Free Specialty Dining for two; includes 3 meal(s) at select specialty restaurants onboard
3. Free Wifi; 250 minutes of free internet
4. $50 per cabin shore excursion credit per port (starting port not included)

 

Now they call it a service charge and no mention on how much.

Not a good deal especially after adding ther so called service charges.

Same price or less on other lines that include 3 perks and offer excellent OBC

My TA always gets me an additional 10% OBC on my NCL bookings over and above what NCL gives, let's me know what the bottom line price is (even though I have already researched it out and found NCL's bottom line with the service charges by doing an on-line mock booking), plus I purchase Cruise Next Certificates while on-board for additional OBC.  When I'm in the mood to splurge with unlimited bars and specialty dining, NCL often comes out ahead in pricing with all the other discounts I can get.  Plus we really like their entertainment and nightlife options on board.  When I am not in the mood to splurge and just looking for a quick cheap getaway or a less expensive family vacation it is usually Carnival that comes out ahead with my Casino Rates and Discounted Carnival Gift Cards.   Having said that I have always easily found the bottom line number with NCL by doing my research through mock bookings.  It's all there in black and white. 

 

Like I've said before everything is subjective and we all need to decide for ourselves what ships offer us what we want for our vacation at the total price we are willing to pay for it.  The best way to do that is through research.  It is a good thing we all have options because it is pretty obvious we don't all want the same things out of our vacations😎....and if you are like us, we usually want something a little different out of every vacation we take.

[Warm Breezes]

12 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Unfortunately NCL has, with their clever advertising, dumbed down a large part of the cruising population.  They actually have people referring to the drinks package, or alternative dining package, or whatever package as “FREE” - because they have included it as part of the fare.    Then they drop the other shoe - they include a large mandatory service charge (which somehow upsets people)  who foolishly believed the first dose of “FREE” BS. 

 

Of course NCL wants a dumbed down population on their ships - it is easier to pick their pockets.

Hmmm.   I think many of us who sail NCL know that the promos are included options and that the gratuities are extra.  NCL has been doing business this way for years and it is working for them.  We are not "dumbed down" as you put it.  Just because you do not like what NCL has to offer for the price they are charging doesn't mean there aren't others who do and are willing, with full knowledge of all that is included and charged extra, to pay for it.  To me "dumb" is not doing your research.  Period.  I think with today's technology making that easier than ever, not too many cruisers fail to do so.  Those that do and complain about the "surprise" charges because they failed to do their research will probably never sail NCL again.  Those of us who did their research and know exactly what they are getting, will not come away disappointed and will more than likely sail them again.  That's just MHO.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

I agree and disagree. You doing cruises with NCL I can understand you knowing this. Bet you did not know it for the very first booking. Just saw an NCL ad on TV. FREE 5 choices. If you happen to see the ad look for where it says anything about you need to pay any service charge or gratuity. Please see my amount of cursing. No other cruise line that I cruised with does this. You are also correct the TA should have informed me before taking my booking. I changed to a different company and a new TA who is awesome and ALWAYS gives me everything that I need to know before doing any booking. She also give me an additional OBC on every booking. Weather direct from her or the company that she represents. So again. The bottom line is all that counts. 

[NLH Arizona]

1 hour ago, twodaywonder said:

I agree and disagree. You doing cruises with NCL I can understand you knowing this. Bet you did not know it for the very first booking. Just saw an NCL ad on TV. FREE 5 choices. If you happen to see the ad look for where it says anything about you need to pay any service charge or gratuity. Please see my amount of cursing. No other cruise line that I cruised with does this. You are also correct the TA should have informed me before taking my booking. I changed to a different company and a new TA who is awesome and ALWAYS gives me everything that I need to know before doing any booking. She also give me an additional OBC on every booking. Weather direct from her or the company that she represents. So again. The bottom line is all that counts. 

I agree and disagree.  I agree that NCL and/or Travel Agent should be advising the customer of additional charges at time of booking.  I disagree that the bottom line is all that counts.  I also look at the over all experience; for example, if Carnival's bottom line was the lowest, there is no way I would take it, because I just don't feel that the experience on their ships is for me.  Now, I also cruise on Celebrity, in addition to NCL, and will pay more for the experience on their ships.  

[Warm Breezes]

1 hour ago, twodaywonder said:

I agree and disagree. You doing cruises with NCL I can understand you knowing this. Bet you did not know it for the very first booking. Just saw an NCL ad on TV. FREE 5 choices. If you happen to see the ad look for where it says anything about you need to pay any service charge or gratuity. Please see my amount of cursing. No other cruise line that I cruised with does this. You are also correct the TA should have informed me before taking my booking. I changed to a different company and a new TA who is awesome and ALWAYS gives me everything that I need to know before doing any booking. She also give me an additional OBC on every booking. Weather direct from her or the company that she represents. So again. The bottom line is all that counts. 

You would bet wrong with me....and I sailed with NCL 3 times before they switched to including promos.  I also sailed with Carnival multiple times, Princess, and Disney.  So how did I know what was included with the promo?  Research.  I always do a mock booking all the way, just stopping short of entering in my name so I can get the bottom line.  When I call my TA I know exactly what ship, sailing, and room I want along with the on-line cost through the cruise line.  It is then up to my TA to get me a better deal.  But because I do my research, I knew exactly what to expect for what I was looking for.  I learned long ago, when the cruise and travel websites first came out, to always go all the way through the mock booking process so I could see what total charges were including taxes and fees.  This holds true for all cruise lines, hotels, car rentals and some airline sites.  But the biggest thing to point out is that before you book, all the charges are there in black and white for you to see.  You still have the choice at that point to choose them or not.  They don't force you to purchase before you know the whole amount and they don't show you the whole amount until you choose your promo package so they know what gratuities to add.

[Warm Breezes]

3 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

I agree and disagree.  I agree that NCL and/or Travel Agent should be advising the customer of additional charges at time of booking.  I disagree that the bottom line is all that counts.  I also look at the over all experience; for example, if Carnival's bottom line was the lowest, there is no way I would take it, because I just don't feel that the experience on their ships is for me.  Now, I also cruise on Celebrity, in addition to NCL, and will pay more for the experience on their ships.  

Exactly.  It is the total of what you are willing to pay for what you want out of your vacation....and everyone has different wants.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

OK enough already. I would appreciate you not going after me and treating me like a know nothing, glad you are so darn smart. Glad you found out how sneaky they are before you booked. Just to be very clear. I do all my research before I even go to the TA and request a quote. Been doing that since 1994 and 70 cruises later. The gratuities added to FREE promotions was something I NEVER came across on any other ship we booked on, so I had no reason to doubt the word FREE as is on all the others. We have booked on. No additional charges.  NCL is sneaky and you better do your homework with them. Period. As I said. Because of what they do I will never cruise on their ship. Period. That is just me. You do whatever you want. Enough said.

[NLH Arizona]

17 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

OK enough already. I would appreciate you not going after me and treating me like a know nothing, glad you are so darn smart. 

Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they are going after you or treating you like a know nothing.  Folks look at things differently, as well as do things differently, and we should be able to have folks disagree with us without getting upset.

 

[Warm Breezes]

26 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

OK enough already. I would appreciate you not going after me and treating me like a know nothing, glad you are so darn smart. Glad you found out how sneaky they are before you booked. Just to be very clear. I do all my research before I even go to the TA and request a quote. Been doing that since 1994 and 70 cruises later. The gratuities added to FREE promotions was something I NEVER came across on any other ship we booked on, so I had no reason to doubt the word FREE as is on all the others. We have booked on. No additional charges.  NCL is sneaky and you better do your homework with them. Period. As I said. Because of what they do I will never cruise on their ship. Period. That is just me. You do whatever you want. Enough said.

I was in no way going after you and I am sorry you feel that way.  I disagreed with you and was debating with you, since my opinion differed from yours based on my experience, but I was not attacking you.  Have fun cruising on what ever cruise line meets your wants and needs.

[QuangFre]

Regardless of sneaky charges or not, NCL tend to attract bargain hunters more than other cruise companies.

It ‘s just not worth it IMO since their service is subpar and their food is so inferior, not to mention much smaller cabin. Same thing with RCL as well.

You should experience Celebrity or HA at least once to see the difference.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

If you are referring to me. Guess you did not notice my cruise list. As for cabin size. Carnival has the largest average cabin size. I have read the reviews for NCL Not impressed at all. So you just keep cursing on your NCL. Enjoy it. Jut not for me. 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

You must love these super deals. I do not see the great deal.

Checking for June and July next year.

Norwegian Sky July 16, 2020

Cheapest OV 5 days $1,071 that is $214 pp  per day plus tax and port

Norwegian Breakaway June 7, 2020

Cheapest OV 7 days $1,299.00 only $185 pp per day plus tax and port.

 

Now you can add the gratuities to the FREE perks in addition to these cruise prices.

 

Remember. These are the lowest cost OV cabins for the dates I am looking for.

Sorry, Not for me. Way to many better deals out there.

Just my opinion which is worth nothing to anyone but me.

[Warm Breezes]

23 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

You must love these super deals. I do not see the great deal.

Checking for June and July next year.

Norwegian Sky July 16, 2020

Cheapest OV 5 days $1,071 that is $214 pp  per day plus tax and port

Norwegian Breakaway June 7, 2020

Cheapest OV 7 days $1,299.00 only $185 pp per day plus tax and port.

 

Now you can add the gratuities to the FREE perks in addition to these cruise prices.

 

Remember. These are the lowest cost OV cabins for the dates I am looking for.

Sorry, Not for me. Way to many better deals out there.

Just my opinion which is worth nothing to anyone but me.

But you are showing us only part of the picture.  What other ships are you comparing these to?  What are their total costs with the same options so we can compare apples to apples?  What are the itineraries?  On top of the costs you provide I can also get a 10% OBC discount from my TA and I would take advantage of Cruise Next OBC on NCL so I would have to include that in my costing.  I don't believe anyone on here said NCL was the cheapest.  Sometimes they are.  Usually they are not.  In fact when I am looking for a cheap deal, as I said before, Carnival usually comes out the cheapest with casino rates and discounted Carnival Gift Cards. 

 

I may pay more on NCL, and it sometimes isn't that much more and at times is less when comparing apples to apples, but I am sometimes willing to pay more for NCL for certain ships because I like sailing on NCL.  I like their entertainment, their freestyle concept, their night life and their specialty restaurants.  I would not be willing to pay more for NCL Sky, just like I wouldn't be willing to pay more for any other cruise lines older ships. 

 

It is all subjective....We all have to choose the ship that best fits our own vacation wants, which is again subjective, for the price we are willing to pay, which is also again subjective.  I enjoy NCL as do many others.  You have not sailed NCL but have a disliking for them based on other people's reviews and what you perceive as dishonest advertising.  Your choice....but I can't say you will ever change my opinion since it is based on my experience.  I have not sailed RCCL nor many other lines that you have sailed yet.  If I haven't sailed them yet, it is just because I haven't found a ship that would offer me what I want for a price I am willing to pay up to this point in our cruising vacations.  My choice.  Just like it is your choice not to sail NCL.  Enjoy your cruises.  

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

A quick example. Sailing on the Celebrity Equinox next. June 22 Cost pp plus tax and port $128.00 pp per day. My pick OV cabin. OBC $450.00, perks, beverage package for two, pre paid gratuities meaning the ones charged to your cabin not on the the perks. There are no additional charges on the perks. One free specialty dinner for two.. Carnival Magic this Halloween. $63.00 pp per day plus tax and port. My pick OV cabin. $225.00 OBC, soda package paid. Not a lot of perks but look at the price. 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

If you are referring to me. Guess you did not notice my cruise list. As for cabin size. Carnival has the largest average cabin size. I have read the reviews for NCL Not impressed at all. So you just keep cursing on your NCL. Enjoy it. Jut not for me. 

LOL "cursing on your NCL" Love the typo, sometimes they are so appropriate.

[Warm Breezes]

3 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

A quick example. Sailing on the Celebrity Equinox next. June 22 Cost pp plus tax and port $128.00 pp per day. My pick OV cabin. OBC $450.00, perks, beverage package for two, pre paid gratuities meaning the ones charged to your cabin not on the the perks. There are no additional charges on the perks. One free specialty dinner for two.. Carnival Magic this Halloween. $63.00 pp per day plus tax and port. My pick OV cabin. $225.00 OBC, soda package paid. Not a lot of perks but look at the price. 

 

And I could just as easily come back with a similar comparison based on my wants. We currently have Carnival Mardi Gras booked Dec 12, 2020.  I also looked at NCL Encore same week, similar itinerary.  My pick Aft Balcony.  Looking at what the total costs are if I were to compare apples to apples with the promos, taxes, fees, and gratuities included with both ships and the discounts I could get with both lines, CCL would cost me $221.13 pp/pd and NCL would cost us $229.71 pp/pd.  The difference in price IMHO is negligible and a non-factor in our decision.  We ended up choosing CCL Mardi Gras because 1.  This ship really interests us 2.  We did an Aft Balcony last year on NCL Getaway (which we loved) and we wanted to compare it to a CCL Aft Balcony.   So while I chose CCL this time because of factors other than cost, we could have easily chosen NCL which wasn’t that much more.  

 

I’m not refuting your analysis and your decisions.  They are based on your wants and the price you are willing to pay.   But that doesn’t mean everybody else will have the same results based on their wants and the price they are willing to pay or that people would make the same decisions as you or me based on the same comparison of ships.  We all have our own preferences based on our own experiences and our own likes/dislikes.  It is all subjective.   Thank goodness we have so many options to choose from.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Warm Breezes