Ziplocks, NCL is turning cruisers into squirrels

[Cruise5life]

31 minutes ago, lfdemt said:

So I should make my younger children suffer through a sit down order wait eat meal so my teenage boy can have a sandwich? Rather than grab him some meat cheese and bread to eat on the balcony for his 3rd dinner while I’m getting the younger child to sleep? Do you want crying over tired children making that much noise while you enjoy your meal?

 

 

I’m sure your downstairs/next door neighbor would love to have kids on the balcony at 11pm at night eating a meal.   

[mjkacmom]

33 minutes ago, lfdemt said:

So I should make my younger children suffer through a sit down order wait eat meal so my teenage boy can have a sandwich? Rather than grab him some meat cheese and bread to eat on the balcony for his 3rd dinner while I’m getting the younger child to sleep? Do you want crying over tired children making that much noise while you enjoy your meal?

 

 

I’ve brought teens on NCL (5 the last time, all mine), I’m sure they all enjoyed second dinner on the ship while my husband and I were in the cabin, after dinner and maybe a show we didn’t see them again until morning. However, I’ve been known to grab some fruit, cheese and crackers from the buffet to eat on our balcony. My husband used to grab wings from O’Sheehans when it used to be allowed.

[Cruise5life]

16 minutes ago, njkate said:

Lol nothing worse then a hangry teenage boy

Raise your kids correct and you won’t have an hangry teenager.   
you’ll have a prepared teen.  

[njkate]

1 minute ago, Cruise5life said:

Raise your kids correct and you won’t have an hangry teenager.   
you’ll have a prepared teen.  

Oh good grief 🙄

[Cruise5life]

Just now, njkate said:

Oh good grief 🙄

What’s wrong. Truth hurts.    
many parents these days have no clue how to raise their kids.    
 

but that’s a completely different thread.   
 

 

[njkate]

5 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I’ve brought teens on NCL (5 the last time, all mine), I’m sure they all enjoyed second dinner on the ship while my husband and I were in the cabin, after dinner and maybe a show we didn’t see them again until morning. However, I’ve been known to grab some fruit, cheese and crackers from the buffet to eat on our balcony. My husband used to grab wings from O’Sheehans when it used to be allowed.

Lots of judging in everyone else's business  people on this thread. On my Bliss Alaskan cruise the cabin next door, the teens would sit on balcony at night with snacks, if my door was closed never even heard them

[njkate]

3 minutes ago, Cruise5life said:

What’s wrong. Truth hurts.    
many parents these days have no clue how to raise their kids.    
 

but that’s a completely different thread.   
 

 

How do you control ones hunger

[david_sobe]

Who would have thought ziplock backs would create a thread over 130 posts and be the hot topic several days in a row.  I only take ziplock bags on cruises to keep things dry when we take excursions into water.  I can see if someone uses them for cookies or snacks from the buffet for later.  But I dont understand bringing food back to your cabin for any reason.  There is no microwave there and how much can you eat on a ship?   Just go to The Local later if you are still up at 1 am or go to an early breakfast.  You can do it but hoarding food is not in my brain activity. 

[Cruise5life]

7 minutes ago, njkate said:

How do you control ones hunger

Let them go to bed hungry a few times.  
theyll make sure that the eat well at dinner after that.  Or they’ll make sure to grab cookies in a ziploc from the buffet.    
 Or you could coddle them till there in there 30’s and living in your basement.  
#helicopterparentstotherescue

[kirtihk]

22 hours ago, sailorusvi said:

 2 years ago dishwashers were making $14-15 an hour here (note minimal wage here was $13, now it's $14.20). Now it's more like $18-20 p/h.

 

This is the reality we live in right now. 

 

Yes, this is the reality...  I came to US 32 years ago (with MS engineering and working as a dishwasher for $4.25 p/hour for 6 years while learning English and raising my 2 children of age 8 and 1.5) from a country where no matter what your job was and how you performed it, everyone was getting the same "wage" (I guess everyone knows these days how it's called).  It appears we are eventually getting there...

 

Happy cruising, everyone,

Voyage, Voyage!!!

Edited January 25, 2023 by kirtihk

[Cruise5life]

8 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Who would have thought ziplock backs would create a thread over 130 posts and be the hot topic several days in a row.  I only take ziplock bags on cruises to keep things dry when we take excursions into water.  I can see if someone uses them for cookies or snacks from the buffet for later.  But I dont understand bringing food back to your cabin for any reason.  There is no microwave there and how much can you eat on a ship?   Just go to The Local later if you are still up at 1 am or go to an early breakfast.  You can do it but hoarding food is not in my brain activity. 

I don’t think anyone in the 160 post is talking about bringing food back(like their prime rib dinner here ) to there rooms.   It’s all about snacks. 

[SeaShark]

19 minutes ago, njkate said:

How do you control ones hunger

 

Um, prevention?

[sailorusvi]

It's clear many of you have never worked in the service industry and see people react to "free" food.  It's pretty comically actually. Some people scarfed down food like it's their last meal and it was marketing that way.  Or even worse, take huge plates of food only to barely touch anything.

 

That all comes at a huge cost and tons of waste. With rising food costs it becomes more apparent.   People would order room service just for the sake of ordering.  Sometimes even falling asleep before even touching the food. They add a charge to RS to weed out those people.

 

I'm sure the late night buffets were cut for a similar reason. Over time they were only utilized by  a small fraction of the passengers and that came a high cost.  Food on a buffet must be thrown out if not eaten.  That is a lot of waste  for the few people who utilized the service.  Also a lot of labor.  You could ask a cook what they did today and they could say I spent hours prepping food to be thrown away.  

 

Now yes, there are some people who have unique needs. Those people now feel slighted. I get it. If you need to grab some cold cuts and bread from the buffet for a special need or a cookie later? Go for it, you are not taking it for the sake of taking "free" food. Taking food  for a  random snack comes a lower cost then setting up an entire buffet for a few people. 

 

Fact is ALL businesses need to adjust their business models overtime in order to survive.  What worked in 2000, doesn't necessarily work in 2023.   When that happens some people will be left behind, but it's not personal.  Ultimately the market will decide if they went too far or not.

[SeaShark]

I think that the interesting aspect of this has basically gone unnoticed. The thread title attempts to blame NCL for the behavior "NCL is turning cruisers into..." (as though the cruiser has no self-control) while ignoring the fact that this only happens when people bring the empty zip lock bags with them while cruising.

 

Everybody putting food into a zip lock came to the cruise prepared to do so...they were ready before stepping onboard. This is planning and forethought...not happenstance.

[njkate]

3 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

Um, prevention?

Well it's clear to me some of the responders don't have teenage boys, if they did it was decades ago. I no longer have teens but it's not bothering my time, having a negative impact on my cruise if people bring snacks back to the cabin for their kids, for themselves.

Thank goodness I don't fall into the old curmudgeon category. It's a different time and parents raise their kids differently.

[latebloomer56]

6 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

I think that the interesting aspect of this has basically gone unnoticed. The thread title attempts to blame NCL for the behavior "NCL is turning cruisers into..." (as though the cruiser has no self-control) while ignoring the fact that this only happens when people bring the empty zip lock bags with them while cruising.

 

Everybody putting food into a zip lock came to the cruise prepared to do so...they were ready before stepping onboard. This is planning and forethought...not happenstance.

I for one have cruised 31 times and can't remember not having baggies each cruise after the first. I don't like wasting food but do like maybe some cheese or grapes while watching a movie as I power down for the evening. I don't have dessert at dinner so look at this as my dessert.

Enjoy your vacation, enjoy your children, and enjoy your snacks.

 

[Cruise5life]

14 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

I think that the interesting aspect of this has basically gone unnoticed. The thread title attempts to blame NCL for the behavior "NCL is turning cruisers into..." (as though the cruiser has no self-control) while ignoring the fact that this only happens when people bring the empty zip lock bags with them while cruising.

 

Everybody putting food into a zip lock came to the cruise prepared to do so...they were ready before stepping onboard. This is planning and forethought...not happenstance.

I was never a Boy Scout.   But I’m always prepared.     I’m on day 19 at sea and still have enough for my next 10 days Lolol. 
all sizes.   
never thought about putting entire plate of food in a ziplock.   
bht I have the huge gallon ziplocks it’ll fit into lololol 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Cruise5life

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, HotRoot said:

Really, over 60 is an old codger?  I hope I never cruise with you.  But if I do, I bet I can stay up later than you.  

Hey, I'll be 60 next year, I AM an old codger! 🤣 And I've fallen asleep before midnight on New Year's Eve more times than I care to admit, LOL! 🤣 In all seriousness, I read a ton of posts here on Cruise Critic and the demographic does skew towards the elderly. That's not in doubt, just see the number of people who talk about being in their 70's and 80's, so yeah, I'm on pretty solid ground when I say that from the cruise line's standpoint, the majority of people weren't planning on feasting at 1 AM! Also, perspective is key: occasionally I regale my non-cruising friends and colleagues about the woeful tales of people not getting their favorite Scotch, someone stealing their lounge chair or "going hungry"  on a cruise and they just roll their eyes and/or laugh. These are totally 1st world problems, by a long shot!

[SeaShark]

9 minutes ago, njkate said:

Well it's clear to me some of the responders don't have teenage boys, if they did it was decades ago. I no longer have teens but it's not bothering my time, having a negative impact on my cruise if people bring snacks back to the cabin for their kids, for themselves.

Thank goodness I don't fall into the old curmudgeon category. It's a different time and parents raise their kids differently.

 

Well, as you know, hunger isn't something specific to teenage boys. We have dinner, and then the next meal planned is the next day's breakfast....and we all have to figure out how to get from one to the other. We do this each and every day...it isn't something new and unique to cruising. Needing to ask how someone should control hunger is, in and of itself, an issue that someone needs to address on their own.

 

Given the availability of food on a cruise, hunger should not be a problem for anyone. If you're hungry...eat something.

[PATRLR]

Most hotels have a pantry or store of some sort where you can purchase snacks.  I'm pretty sure the expectation is that food will be eaten in your hotel room (although certainly not required).  For all those who have a problem with people taking food from a dining venue on a cruise back to their cabin, do you have a similar problem with people taking food from the hotel pantry/store back to their room?

In my home, I bring food from my kitchen into my family room to watch TV or down to my office.  Is that OK or am I supposed to only eat in my kitchen?  

It's ridiculous to think that even one person actually cares if I bring food to my cabin.  

[SeaShark]

6 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

I for one have cruised 31 times and can't remember not having baggies each cruise after the first. I don't like wasting food but do like maybe some cheese or grapes while watching a movie as I power down for the evening. I don't have dessert at dinner so look at this as my dessert.

Enjoy your vacation, enjoy your children, and enjoy your snacks.

 

 

And did YOU decide to purchase, pack, and carry those baggies to the cruise on your own?

[SeaShark]

2 minutes ago, Cruise5life said:

I was never a Boy Scout.   But I’m always prepared.     I’m on day 19 at sea and still have enough for my next 10 days Lolol. 
all sizes.   
never thought about putting entire plate of food in a ziplock.   
bht I have the huge gallon ziplocks it’ll fit into lololol 

but again...my point is that it isn't NCL making you have baggies, you bought those on your own.

[Cruise5life]

Man speaking of which.    
I guess I should get out of bed. And go to the buffet and get some food.     Lolol 

don’t need ziplocks on this cruise.   We have pizza till 1am.  Lololol.   
but used them every day last week on my NCL Panama cruise.  Lolol 

[PATRLR]

23 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

Exactly...people need to resist that "drive thru lane" mentality and just order and eat their meal at the restaurant. 

Why do they need to resist the "drive thru lane mentality"?  

Why does anyone even care? 

[Cruise5life]

2 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

but again...my point is that it isn't NCL making you have baggies, you bought those on your own.

Exactly.   I’m prepared for anything.   
I don’t use them just for food. Lolol.  
You just never know when you’ll need one.    
I have tape, superglue,eyeglass repair kit and batteries with me too. Lolol. 
you never know.    Lolol.