When did Free at Sea downgrade to 2 Specialty Dinners instead of 3?

[AviationInScale]

More nickel & dining IMHO.

[BirdTravels]

So,,, you get something for free and it is N&D? No nickel and diming here.... unless you somehow was charged more for getting something for free. In fact, you get charged less for fewer meals. Just smart business. 

 

If you look at your receipt, the POS still credits your bill against a "UDP" promotion. If you have been around for a while, that was the "Ultimate" dining plan. It used to work like Royal Caribbean where you could go to any restaurant, any time, as many times as you wanted for the duration of your cruise. We used to do a progressive dinner. Apps at Cagney's, Mains at Cucina, and an after-show dessert at Le Bistro. 

 

We are very happy to get 4 free dinners on a 7-night cruise (2 Specialty Dining Package and 2 "Platinum" dinners). 

 

We never consider getting free dinners as being nickeled and dimed. 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by BirdTravels

[AviationInScale]

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

So,,, you get something for free and it is N&D?

It is when I used to get more. Thanks for your answer that contributes nothing.

[Two Wheels Only]

For a 7 night cruise, it went from 3 meals to 2 meals on April 15, 2020. 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, AviationInScale said:

It is when I used to get more. Thanks for your answer that contributes nothing.

Lots of other cruise lines to go on. Bye, bye birdy!

[hallux]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

So,,, you get something for free and it is N&D?

the OP has been an absolute ray of sunshine (can you sense the sarcasm?) in other recent threads in which they have participated.  Take that for what it's worth...

[BirdTravels]

10 minutes ago, hallux said:

the OP has been an absolute ray of sunshine (can you sense the sarcasm?) in other recent threads in which they have participated.  Take that for what it's worth...

Also changed his photo. 

[SenatorsFan]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

For a 7 night cruise, it went from 3 meals to 2 meals on April 15, 2020. 

 

 

Thanks for the explanation. I haven't cruised since 2019 and noticed I was only getting 2 dinners on my upcoming November Encore cruise. 👍

 

[DaCruiseBug]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

So,,, you get something for free and it is N&D? No nickel and diming here.... unless you somehow was charged more for getting something for free. In fact, you get charged less for fewer meals. Just smart business. 

 

Wait...what???? You're kidding right? The UDP isn't free, the price is built into the fare you paid. 

 

Using your line of thinking the buffet is also "free" right?

Edited October 2, 2022 by DaCruiseBug

[casofilia]

@AviationInScale

 

Why are you not complaining that the WiFi has increased?

[CruizinSusan70]

The FAS now only provides 1 specialty dinner for up to 11 nights of cruising.  In order to generate more monies, NCL offers you the opportunity to purchase an additional two dinners for about 35 pppd, or 140 for two people for two extra dinners.

We currently have 4 bookings, on two of them we got 2 over 7 nights and the others were 4 over 11 and 1 over 7 on our most recent booking.  We decided to buy the extra two dinners for the 140.  Didn't want to eat 6 nights at the MDR with the same menu on our March Prima cruise.

[BirdTravels]

[DaCruiseBug]

14 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

So basically those on a 5-6 day cruise have seen a 50% decrease,

 

Those on a 7 day sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview cabin have seen a 67% decrease.

 

Those on a 7 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 33% decrease.

 

Those on a 9-10 day sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen a 75% decrease.

 

Those on a 9-10 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 50% decrease.

 

Those on an 11 night sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen an 80% decrease.

 

Those on an 11 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 60% decrease.

 

Those on a 12+ night sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen a 60% decrease.

 

Those on a 12+ night sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 40% decrease.

 

[backsbanny]

Few years ago it used to be for all nights included. I will never forget a 10 nights last minute canary cruise on the ncl epic booked aft balcony all included ( specialty beverage etc) for 1300 usd total price for a couple!! Back then no gratuity on the “free staff”.That was an insane deal back then and still today one of the best cruises ive ever had with NCL

[mjkacmom]

9 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

So basically those on a 5-6 day cruise have seen a 50% decrease,

 

Those on a 7 day sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview cabin have seen a 67% decrease.

 

Those on a 7 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 33% decrease.

 

Those on a 9-10 day sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen a 75% decrease.

 

Those on a 9-10 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 50% decrease.

 

Those on an 11 night sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen an 80% decrease.

 

Those on an 11 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 60% decrease.

 

Those on a 12+ night sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen a 60% decrease.

 

Those on a 12+ night sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 40% decrease.

 

Is it your goal to talk folks out of sailing NCL so you troll this board? It’s just strange.

[DaCruiseBug]

3 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Is it your goal to talk folks out of sailing NCL so you troll this board? It’s just strange.

 

Facts don't have goals. They're just facts. Thank you for contributing absolutely nothing to the discussion.

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

So basically those on a 5-6 day cruise have seen a 50% decrease,

What you get is still free. I'll take free on NCL versus... well... nothing on Royal (where we are Diamond members). 

 

The main stream media that thrives on fake news. If metrics are taken out of context, you can spin a fake news to tell any story you want. 

 

Some people like to ride the fence. In one breath saying that cruisers are being cheated by reducing some of the freebies then in the next breath say that the items are not free so you are not being cheated out of anything. Can it be both??? Classic main stream media. Spin the metrics one way in one breath, and in the next breath spin it the other way. 

 

Price differences between cruise line is a clear example of market pricing set based on supply and demand. If people are willing to pay $2593 for a cruise, why would you, as a vendor, not sell at that price point. Cruise lines, airlines, all continually adjust their prices based on demand. It's called "Yield Management", getting the most out of every seat/cabin. Have you ever looked at a heat map of a typical flight? While every seat gets to the same destination, but every passenger pays a vastly different price. The assertion that selling at an optimal price point to maximize yield is totally based on giving away a free meal is an classic example of the main stream media spinning metrics, totally out of context, to make an unsubstantiated point. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by BirdTravels

[DaCruiseBug]

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

What you get is still free. I'll take free on NCL versus... well... nothing on Royal (where we are Diamond members). 

 

You're very obtuse aren't you? It's not free. It's built into your cruise fare. Go ahead and tell us how the buffet is also free, housekeeping is free, and how the onboard entertainment is also free. Everything is free...what you paid to NCL is just a charitably donation completely unrelated to the services and items you receive on your cruise isn't it?

Edited October 2, 2022 by DaCruiseBug

[DaCruiseBug]

6 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

What you get is still free. I'll take free on NCL versus... well... nothing on Royal (where we are Diamond members). 

 

Hopefully this will help you understand...I don't think it will but there's a 1% chance it will.

 

Cheapest 7 day Caribbean sailing with a Balcony cabin in the 1st quarter of 2023 on RCCL =

 

Allure of Seas (2/26) at $1,420

 

Cheapest 7 day Caribbean sailing with a Balcony cabin in the 1st quarter of 2023 on NCL =

 

Breakaway at (2/05) $2,091 with no perks

Breakaway at (2/05) $2,593 with perks

 

But keep telling us how the dining plan on NCL is "free"...

[KeithJenner]

13 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

You're very obtuse aren't you? It's not free. It's built into your cruise fare. Go ahead and tell us how the buffet is also free, housekeeping is free, and how the onboard entertainment is also free. Everything is free...what you paid to NCL is just a charitably donation completely unrelated to the services and items you receive on your cruise isn't it?

Not taking any side in this (I see both sides of the argument), but there is a difference between speciality dining and the other things that you mention in that those things are included for everyone, but the speciality dining has an upcharge without the free at sea offer.

 

Regardless of any of the arguments about things being included in the cruise fare, they are offering something that there is usually an upcharge for at no charge (ie free).

 

Of course, in saying this I am ignoring gratuities/free at sea upcharge etc.

Edited October 2, 2022 by KeithJenner

[PATRLR]

11 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

What you get is still free.

But it's less than what you used to get.  If you want to maintain the same amount of Specialty Dining, you have to pay.  If you don't like that being referred to as N&D, fine.  How about just calling it annoying?  It's the same effect.

[DaCruiseBug]

3 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

Not taking any side in this (I see both sides of the argument), but there is a difference between speciality dining and the other things that you mention in that those things are free to everyone but the speciality dining has an upcharge without the free at sea offer.

 

Regardless of any of the arguments about things being included in the cruise fare, they are offering something that there is usually an upcharge for at no charge (ie free).

 

Of. Purse, in saying this I am ignoring gratuities/free at sea upcharge etc.

 

The difference in cruise fare in the above mentioned example is $502 per person. This fare difference includes the built in cost of the beverage package and dining package. It's not free. You're just paying for it with your cruise fare. They're not giving you anything...you're specifically choosing to pay MORE for your cruise fare so you can have the dining package included. If you buy an airline ticket and have a price of $100 for a basic economy ticket and $120 for a regular economy ticket which includes 1 checked bag instead of having to pay for it...is the checked bag free or did you just really pay for it in your airline ticket? Come on...

Edited October 2, 2022 by DaCruiseBug

[hallux]

4 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

Facts don't have goals. They're just facts. Thank you for contributing absolutely nothing to the discussion.

 

Just now, DaCruiseBug said:

 

You're very obtuse aren't you? It's not free. It's built into your cruise fare.

IS the fare higher with the perks included?  Sure.  If you want those perks, add up what they would cost you to get the sail-away cabin and add the 2-meal SDP, drink package for a week, a small internet package.

 

Take this cruise as an example - 7-night Eastern Caribbean on the Escape, March 18-25, 2023.  Balcony cabin for one (I sail solo)

Sailaway cabin, with no perks is $1798 plus taxes and port fees. You get no option to select the cabin (at least at the time of booking).  $1,966 gets you on board.  If you want specialty dining ($89), drinks ($109/day PLUS gratuities) and get a 250 minute internet package ($105) you have now spent way more than you would have if you had simply taken the cabin with the perks included (see below)

 

WITH the perks, the cabin is $1919 plus taxes, port fees and gratuities, $2298 gets you on board with all the drinks you could want, 2 nights of specialty dining, 150 minutes of internet.

 

If the perks don't matter to you - book the sailaway rate and don't buy the packages.  If you like drinking even a few drinks a day, by all means get the perks-included cabin.

 

Then you have cruises like this one, where the sailaway rate is HIGHER than the perks-included rate - 

[KeithJenner]

11 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

The difference in cruise fare in the above mentioned example is $502 per person. This fare difference includes the built in cost of the beverage package and dining package. It's not free. You're just paying for it with your cruise fare. They're not giving you anything...you're specifically choosing to pay MORE for your cruise fare so you can have the dining package included. If you buy an airline ticket and have a price of $100 for a basic economy ticket and $120 for a regular economy ticket which includes 1 checked bag instead of having to pay for it...is the checked bag free or did you just really pay for it in your airline ticket? Come on...

As I said, I’m taking no side in this. I’m just mentioning that there is a difference between speciality restaurants (which you would otherwise pay for) and the buffet (which is free for absolutely everyone) when making the argument that you did.

 

I didn’t say that you were incorrect in your basic point about whether things are included in the fare (which I very much agree is often the case), but I have some sympathy with the argument that it is nice to have some included.

 

Ultimately it is up to the individual to work out if they are getting value.

Edited October 2, 2022 by KeithJenner

[DaCruiseBug]

7 minutes ago, hallux said:

 

IS the fare higher with the perks included?  Sure.  If you want those perks, add up what they would cost you to get the sail-away cabin and add the 2-meal SDP, drink package for a week, a small internet package.

 

Take this cruise as an example - 7-night Eastern Caribbean on the Escape, March 18-25, 2023.  Balcony cabin for one (I sail solo)

Sailaway cabin, with no perks is $1798 plus taxes and port fees. You get no option to select the cabin (at least at the time of booking).  $1,966 gets you on board.  If you want specialty dining ($89), drinks ($109/day PLUS gratuities) and get a 250 minute internet package ($105) you have now spent way more than you would have if you had simply taken the cabin with the perks included (see below)

 

WITH the perks, the cabin is $1919 plus taxes, port fees and gratuities, $2298 gets you on board with all the drinks you could want, 2 nights of specialty dining, 150 minutes of internet.

 

If the perks don't matter to you - book the sailaway rate and don't buy the packages.  If you like drinking even a few drinks a day, by all means get the perks-included cabin.

 

Then you have cruises like this one, where the sailaway rate is HIGHER than the perks-included rate - 

 

You're basically making my point. The $109 per day for the beverage package is double the price what all the other cruiselines charge for their standard beverage package and generally offers LESS than what theirs offer. This is only done for 1 reason. NCL makes a KILLING off those daily gratuities. The higher the cost of the beverage package the MORE NLC gets to pocket in service charges that don't go directly to the workers but instead go into their profits and NCL simply states that it goes in part to pay for incentive programs for the workers. It's just another way NCL nickel and dimes people. Thank you so much for making my point for me without even trying. Just because NCL charges $130.80 per day for their beverage package doesn't mean it's worth anywhere near that. Imagine paying $10 for a half gallon of organic milk...that's what NCL is doing.

 

For example, MSC charges $49 per person per day for their Easy Plus drink package which is the one closest to the NCL drink package. The NCL "open bar" drink package is 167% more expensive than the MSC drink package.

Edited October 2, 2022 by DaCruiseBug