NCL's current strategy: Raise prices and lower quality

[leithbones]

6 hours ago, SeaShark said:

So...you have to ask....how are we really any different than the cruise line?

This post gets to the core.  However....

you cite a spectrum of actions ranging from good consumer investigation, through unscrupulous or unethical conduct, to outright fraud/theft.  

 

If consumers perceive (rightly or wrongly) that they are dealing with a vendor who tends toward the unethical/fraudulent end of that spectrum>> in the sense of false advertising or failure to meet contracted standards>> it's understandable how virulent the responses may become. 

But confronting fellow-posters who have unrealistic and self-absorbed expectations is an admirable if impractical fool's errand.

 

Certainly these threads indicate that some harbor mendacious attitudes reflected in their actions toward the Line while cruising. But I want to believe that's a micro-minority looking to justify their behaviors as a 'squaring of accounts'. 

 

I also want to believe that the Corporate 'leave no $ untouched' strategy is geared much more at the majority of participants who are willfully ignorant and happily unconcerned with NCL's profit motive (horrors!).  By definition, that majority includes very few CC members. 

 

I haven't seen where ANY  NCL practice plunges to the depths of some of the calculated, unprincipled deceit I've witnessed by fellow Pax. 

 

That's how we're different.

 

[PortFees45]

16 hours ago, mianmike said:

 

Exactly.  Thanks to Frank Del Rio we have starting cruising other lines.  Before Frank we were pretty much loyal to NCL.  

RCL can thank Frank for my first ever sailing with them coming up next month!

[WYB!]

I myself am not a professional gambler. The most I've gotten on land for my play is $9 cash back (and that was actually in CAD not USD). But when it comes to gamblers or Casino at Sea (CaS), I believe that CaS members have slightly higher expectations for service in general.

For them to be comped a cruise I think the cruise line as well as the casino host on land have certain expectations too.

 

On my last few voyages, I've talked to CaS people that have been comped a cruise.

 

While with NCL, CaS people pay the administrative fee and substantially less then what a normal booking person would pay, CaS people are also required to: play a certain amount, for a certain period of time and at a certain $$ level, (all depending on their comp level).

 

It's the difference between a recreational and professional player. On land, comping a player a room based on their play is not uncommon.

 

The levels that CaS bet would have paid the cruise 2 or 3 times over so I can understand the OPs expectations.

Edited January 3, 2020 by WYB!

[Sand and Seas]

On 1/2/2020 at 6:41 PM, WYB! said:

......For them to be comped a cruise I think the cruise line as well as the casino host on land have certain expectations too.

 

On my last few voyages, I've talked to CaS people that have been comped a cruise.

 

While with NCL, CaS people pay the administrative fee and substantially less then what a normal booking person would pay, CaS people are also required to: play a certain amount, for a certain period of time and at a certain $$ level, (all depending on their comp level).......

 

 

Not exactly.  It depends on how you got your comped cruise.  If your comp was directly from CAS based on your play from a prior cruise, they will expect you to play a certain amount if you want to get another comped cruise from them.  If you choose not to gamble on that cruise or gamble a small amount, no more offers from CAS but no one is chasing you down on-board and forcing you to play🤨.

 

If you are on a NCL cruise with a comped certificate from a land-based casino like Caesars Entertainment (CET), there is no requirement to gamble on-board.    NCL does not report back to your CET  host if or how much you played on-board.    You use your comp certificate to get a certain cabin type which is based on your play at the land-based casino. 

 

For both type of comped cruises, you pay NCL an Admin fee of $20 per person per night double-occupancy.  You also pay Port Fees, gov taxes and DSC.    For those of us who are going to gamble anyway, it definitely is similar to getting a comped room and comped food in a land-based casino.    It's all in how you choose to spend your vacation dollars.

[BostonGal35]

We are very loyal to NCL.  that said, we have noticed the decline since FDR took over.  Our last Haven sail was despicable (my review just posted yesterday, this was for the November 30 sail).  What's worse is they only gave me $100 cruise credit for what we went thru - my fiance who also traveled with me got nothing yet he was subject to the same experience.  

 

We've contemplated trying RCCL but i honestly dont think it will be that much different.  My first cruise was Carnival and i swore off cruising after that.  Fortunately i gave it another try.  I see their ships in port all the time, all rusted out and dingy looking.  Doesnt make me feel confident about what the inside would be like or the food, etc.

 

We are blessed to be able to afford something more luxury, say, Oceania or Windstar - but we are very concerned that it will be an older demographic with no night life whatsoever (at least the kind we like).  Its also annoying that Oceania doesnt honor your NCL status. Im told Celebrity honors RCCL's status.   While we could afford the Haven every time, its not worth it at what most of the prices are, especially if the service has dropped to a level of what we just had on Breakaway.  We now sail Haven when we find a deal (there are still some out there, few and far) or we attempt to bid, but we never bid more than "poor"/the minimum (and we have won, for anyone asking, but that's because we always sail off peak to avoid kids/crowds).

 

It is a dilemma for us... that we keep pondering.  

 

So i feel like NCL sort of has us by the proverbial ba**s in some ways.  

[NLH Arizona]

40 minutes ago, BostonGal35 said:

We are very loyal to NCL.  that said, we have noticed the decline since FDR took over.  Our last Haven sail was despicable (my review just posted yesterday, this was for the November 30 sail).  What's worse is they only gave me $100 cruise credit for what we went thru - my fiance who also traveled with me got nothing yet he was subject to the same experience.  

 

Just read your review and wondering how much did you think they should have given you in cruise credit for your issues?

[BostonGal35]

2 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

Just read your review and wondering how much did you think they should have given you in cruise credit for your issues?

 

well, at bare minimum, we both should have received the $100.

We paid approximately $6k for the 7 days in Haven, which was about double we would have paid for a window or balcony.  Id say probably $300 per person.  or they could have wiped our on board account.  Or they could have extended VIP status to us on a future cruise where we werent sailing in the Haven.  there are a multitude of things we would have felt truly represented  a good faith effort.  But $100 for just one of us? Unacceptable.

[April42749]

1 minute ago, BostonGal35 said:

 

well, at bare minimum, we both should have received the $100.

We paid approximately $6k for the 7 days in Haven, which was about double we would have paid for a window or balcony.  Id say probably $300 per person.  or they could have wiped our on board account.  Or they could have extended VIP status to us on a future cruise where we werent sailing in the Haven.  there are a multitude of things we would have felt truly represented  a good faith effort.  But $100 for just one of us? Unacceptable.

I read that review too.  What exactly did you have to "endure"?  Leftovers not being taken away or having to pick up the phone to call maintenance.....!!!    Seriously...I'm biting my tongue (sitting on my hand) not to write what I think. 🙂

[Newleno]

On 1/1/2020 at 10:15 PM, blcruising said:

Yes, this is all really true as I discovered in November. Although my November cruise was super cheap, so was the onboard experience. The prices are crazy high, even for last minute sailings with capacity. It just doesn't reconcile. Given the decline in the onboard environment, I'll cruise if they offer a rate comparable to the experience. If not, I'll choose to spend my vacation dollars where the benefits received match the price paid.

I go with the best deal, not married to a cruise line, the food on ncl meh, however i got a deal, solo room for $250 for 11 days new Zealand on dec 11.  the last few years ncl has provided some great last minute deals otherwise I would not have cruised. 

[Newleno]

1 hour ago, BostonGal35 said:

We are very loyal to NCL.  that said, we have noticed the decline since FDR took over.  Our last Haven sail was despicable (my review just posted yesterday, this was for the November 30 sail).  What's worse is they only gave me $100 cruise credit for what we went thru - my fiance who also traveled with me got nothing yet he was subject to the same experience.  

 

We've contemplated trying RCCL but i honestly dont think it will be that much different.  My first cruise was Carnival and i swore off cruising after that.  Fortunately i gave it another try.  I see their ships in port all the time, all rusted out and dingy looking.  Doesnt make me feel confident about what the inside would be like or the food, etc.

 

We are blessed to be able to afford something more luxury, say, Oceania or Windstar - but we are very concerned that it will be an older demographic with no night life whatsoever (at least the kind we like).  Its also annoying that Oceania doesnt honor your NCL status. Im told Celebrity honors RCCL's status.   While we could afford the Haven every time, its not worth it at what most of the prices are, especially if the service has dropped to a level of what we just had on Breakaway.  We now sail Haven when we find a deal (there are still some out there, few and far) or we attempt to bid, but we never bid more than "poor"/the minimum (and we have won, for anyone asking, but that's because we always sail off peak to avoid kids/crowds).

 

It is a dilemma for us... that we keep pondering.  

 

So i feel like NCL sort of has us by the proverbial ba**s in some ways.  

I went on windstar once, I did not think it was anything special, although we did have a great sea food buffet one night, entertainment and things to do were non existent.

[bkrickles1]

50 minutes ago, April42749 said:

I read that review too.  What exactly did you have to "endure"?  Leftovers not being taken away or having to pick up the phone to call maintenance.....!!!    Seriously...I'm biting my tongue (sitting on my hand) not to write what I think. 🙂

Totally agree!

While I would never tell someone that their complaints aren't valid, to expect more credit for trivial issues seems a little over the top. 

[April42749]

4 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

Totally agree!

While I would never tell someone that their complaints aren't valid, to expect more credit for trivial issues seems a little over the top. 

Even more than that, I would never complain about an employee to his superior (and possibly jeopardize his income) over such nonsense.  Oh well, at least she got her M&Ms.

[MotownVoice]

Cruise Critic started off as a cruise line advice and planning website.

I hope they don't allow it to become another Yelp wherein the content is nothing but cheap spendthrifts complaining about having to spend money and spreading scurrilous, unsubstantiated rumors about the quality of companies' products.

Because this kind of garbage is just boring, transparent and not at all useful to someone who just wants to know how to book a cruise and find the best excursions.

[BostonGal35]

24 minutes ago, April42749 said:

Even more than that, I would never complain about an employee to his superior (and possibly jeopardize his income) over such nonsense.  Oh well, at least she got her M&Ms.

 

So when you speak to the employee directly and nothing happens or changes you just sit quiet?  sorry, not for that kind of money.

when you pay for a service it should be provided.  if you read thru all of my reviews and my posts here you wil see that we are actually quite complimentary of staff, we tip above and beyond what the DSC/included gratuities are, and typically are very happy wtih the majority of NCL staff.

But to pay for Haven services and not receive them?  Really?  Just sit back and do nothing?

[cementhands]

We’re age 64 but love to be active. Been through all the cruise lines. Starting with carnival then celebrity and princess for a while. RCL was our favorite for a long time. One HAL and will return when we’re older.
After 40 cruises and paying for over 50 because of the kids our key is activities now. So our last RCL on Grandeur was pathetic with activities. Anthem was great activities but terrible food. Celebrity on Equionox and then eclipse were both boring. We’re diamond on RCL and separately elite on celebrity. Haven’t been on Ncl for a while but just enjoyed the gem for Halloween 2018 and it was amazing fun. Zumba live band at each nightly party with tons of dancing opportunities. Prism band was excellent, each band member sang great. Queen Rolling Stones ABBA  and many other spot on tributes. 14 nights cruise out of Boston. So we quickly booked the Bliss and can’t wait.
When we slow down we might revisit other cruise lines but no longer loyal to royal. We’re cruisin like Norwegian now.

[April42749]

4 minutes ago, BostonGal35 said:

 

So when you speak to the employee directly and nothing happens or changes you just sit quiet?  sorry, not for that kind of money.

when you pay for a service it should be provided.  if you read thru all of my reviews and my posts here you wil see that we are actually quite complimentary of staff, we tip above and beyond what the DSC/included gratuities are, and typically are very happy wtih the majority of NCL staff.

But to pay for Haven services and not receive them?  Really?  Just sit back and do nothing?

Yeah, I'd complain.  I just find your complaints frivolous and expecting compensation because of "what you had to endure" laughable.  

[G-DawgMN]

1 minute ago, April42749 said:

Yeah, I'd complain.  I just find your complaints frivolous and expecting compensation because of "what you had to endure" laughable.  

 

 No M&M's or cheese the first night was a pretty major hardship.

 

 I will agree that the shower door probably should have been fixed sooner, but asking the concierge to deal with an in-room issue is certainly outside his scope. 

 

[BostonGal35]

believe me, there was more that went on that was discussed both on board and that was in my detailed email to guest services.  we let many things go, for example, lunch service on embarkation day is typically always awful and even sometimes dinner service - but we get it, ship changeover day is extremely difficult for the crew, so they get a pass.  maybe a person is rude on occasion.  well, we understand that folks are away from family and maybe have a bad day or something happened at home.  we dont complain.

 

in all our cruises i believe we have only formally complained about 2 concierges (this sail being one of them), this butler, and one restaurant host at lebistros on i believe the Gem.  NCL staff usually corrects and issue right away as they truly do want you to have a good experience.  that is why situations like mine may appear "trivial" to you, and some may be, but when gathered in the aggregate and compared to prior experiences become more significant.  we talked with a few first time Haven guests on that sail.  they thought their service was great.  then we said "what have you gotten for snacks/room service?" and their answer was "we havent gotten snacks" or "we should be getting snacks?  we can get that?  no one told us?" its pretty telling.  im sure we would have been ok too, if we didnt know how good it could be and how good it SHOULD be.  

 

as for the shower door and maintenance?  that was 3 days of the doors sliding open, water on the floor, that our poor steward had to clean. he was frustrated, he reported it, we felt bad for him, absolutely the concierge should have taken care of making that call and elevating our issue.  could we have let it slide and forced our hard working steward, who gave us impeccable service all week, to have to mop up floods every day after 4 total showers per day?  Sure, but why would we?  Grossly unfair to him nor should we have to have a drenched floor every day.

[NLH Arizona]

1 hour ago, April42749 said:

I read that review too.  What exactly did you have to "endure"?  Leftovers not being taken away or having to pick up the phone to call maintenance.....!!!    Seriously...I'm biting my tongue (sitting on my hand) not to write what I think. 🙂

I'm biting my tongue as well.

[don't-use-real-name]

5 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 

 No M&M's or cheese the first night was a pretty major hardship.

 

 I will agree that the shower door probably should have been fixed sooner, but asking the concierge to deal with an in-room issue is certainly outside his scope. 

 

No M&Ms or snack cheese - small oversight remind the Butler !

 

NOW HOWEVER - I disagree about asking the concierge to deal with an in-room issue is certainly outside his scope. 

Your cabin attendant takes care of the cabin

Your Butler takes care of the beverages food snacks dining

THE CONCIERGE oversees your total experience on board

 

Report your problem/issue with the appropriate level person

It does not hurt to follow up with the next level about the

issue service and how it was handled good bad or otherwise

Nothing is outside of scope in reporting a problem - if it is not

fixed to your satisfaction and not corrected - the next guest

may not be so forgiving and the Concierge needs to be in

loop on this - an ongoing problem is not good for all.

If you attend the Meet & Greet event the Host usually the

Hotel General Manager reminds everyone that if something

is not right to let them know - don't go away sour & mad. 

[luckyinpa]

i didnt read the thread but this is another example of more for less...who would pay 200 more for NO offers. why do they do this even?

[Newleno]

17 minutes ago, BostonGal35 said:

believe me, there was more that went on that was discussed both on board and that was in my detailed email to guest services.  we let many things go, for example, lunch service on embarkation day is typically always awful and even sometimes dinner service - but we get it, ship changeover day is extremely difficult for the crew, so they get a pass.  maybe a person is rude on occasion.  well, we understand that folks are away from family and maybe have a bad day or something happened at home.  we dont complain.

 

in all our cruises i believe we have only formally complained about 2 concierges (this sail being one of them), this butler, and one restaurant host at lebistros on i believe the Gem.  NCL staff usually corrects and issue right away as they truly do want you to have a good experience.  that is why situations like mine may appear "trivial" to you, and some may be, but when gathered in the aggregate and compared to prior experiences become more significant.  we talked with a few first time Haven guests on that sail.  they thought their service was great.  then we said "what have you gotten for snacks/room service?" and their answer was "we havent gotten snacks" or "we should be getting snacks?  we can get that?  no one told us?" its pretty telling.  im sure we would have been ok too, if we didnt know how good it could be and how good it SHOULD be.  

 

as for the shower door and maintenance?  that was 3 days of the doors sliding open, water on the floor, that our poor steward had to clean. he was frustrated, he reported it, we felt bad for him, absolutely the concierge should have taken care of making that call and elevating our issue.  could we have let it slide and forced our hard working steward, who gave us impeccable service all week, to have to mop up floods every day after 4 total showers per day?  Sure, but why would we?  Grossly unfair to him nor should we have to have a drenched floor every day.

I had this room steward from PPT to SYD he was terrible, if we did early breakfast the room would not get cleaned, late breakfast the room would not get cleaned, early dinner and early show -  you guessed it room would not get cleaned, late dinner and show ditto, on several occasions we brought pool towels to the room to dry off after we bathed, met this room steward guy once in the hall and he had the audacity to say "I need to clean your room you need to go see a show"   I did not report him but I wanted to, if I ever have him again I will immediately asked to be given a new room steward.

[texasgirl29]

I'm happy to sail with a balcony. I appreciate the steward coming in to make the bed and bring fresh towels but generally I try to make his or her job easier by straightening things up. Having to deal with a room steward, and a butler, and a concierge, would be just too taxing on my vacation time. 

 

 

[All-ready2cruise]

33 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

i didnt read the thread but this is another example of more for less...who would pay 200 more for NO offers. why do they do this even?

I saw this occur on some of the cruises I looked at that included the 20% discount. It's one of the reasons I booked 3 cruises.  The problem I see now, is that NCL jacked the prices up by approx. 40%, then discounted them by 30% and then applied the 20% discount... I think that's how it's being done anyway.  😵

 

I've cruised in suites in the past and had a conversation with a staff member on the Joy (5-day cruise in Oct.) regarding suites/haven butlers. We talked about the Concierge category and he indicated it may be something they'll be instituting on ships that don't have all Haven suites.  I'd be quite happy about that but I know some would be upset about losing Butler service.  Just an interesting tidbit is all. 🤨

[trummy]

1 hour ago, BostonGal35 said:

believe me, there was more that went on that was discussed both on board and that was in my detailed email to guest services.  we let many things go, for example, lunch service on embarkation day is typically always awful and even sometimes dinner service - but we get it, ship changeover day is extremely difficult for the crew, so they get a pass.  maybe a person is rude on occasion.  well, we understand that folks are away from family and maybe have a bad day or something happened at home.  we dont complain.

 

in all our cruises i believe we have only formally complained about 2 concierges (this sail being one of them), this butler, and one restaurant host at lebistros on i believe the Gem.  NCL staff usually corrects and issue right away as they truly do want you to have a good experience.  that is why situations like mine may appear "trivial" to you, and some may be, but when gathered in the aggregate and compared to prior experiences become more significant.  we talked with a few first time Haven guests on that sail.  they thought their service was great.  then we said "what have you gotten for snacks/room service?" and their answer was "we havent gotten snacks" or "we should be getting snacks?  we can get that?  no one told us?" its pretty telling.  im sure we would have been ok too, if we didnt know how good it could be and how good it SHOULD be.  

 

as for the shower door and maintenance?  that was 3 days of the doors sliding open, water on the floor, that our poor steward had to clean. he was frustrated, he reported it, we felt bad for him, absolutely the concierge should have taken care of making that call and elevating our issue.  could we have let it slide and forced our hard working steward, who gave us impeccable service all week, to have to mop up floods every day after 4 total showers per day?  Sure, but why would we?  Grossly unfair to him nor should we have to have a drenched floor every day.

One of the ways to be happy is to learn to go with the flow and to not let the bastards get you down. I am sure you had great moments on your cruise, but those seem not to be your focus.