Disappointed with extra charge for almost ALL restuarants

[suzyed]

i want everything included in my fare, i want a low fare, and i never want the fare to increase ;)

yeah!

[Traveller20074]

Well, I still want it all-and I want it cheap ;)

 

Of course if someone is willing to pay extra for a 'certain level of quality and service' they could just pay the price & eat in the spec dining rooms ;)

 

^ High 5 ^ Well Said.

[obmarcr]

I agree...when I start getting nickle and dimed to death then I will go somewhere else. I have a cruise on the NCL SKY coming up in April and looking forward to it. So far I have been on the Disney Wonder and RCCL.

Disney is a little more expensive but they don't charge extra for soft drinks or ice cream and their restaruants are excellent and their cabins are a nice size. They do have specialty restaurants but they aren't that expensive. RCCL was just "OK" we were on an older ship and the cabin was extremely small and the plumbing was bad. Their restaurants were good but if you wanted soft drinks you had to pay extra.

Here is what bugs me....why the corkage fee with NCL,,do other cruise lines charge this too? I never ever heard of that. Just another way to make money and part of the nicke and diming to death attitude.

I would never ever buy wine and then have to pay a corking fee. What a rip off!!

[johnql]

Here is what bugs me....why the corkage fee with NCL,,do other cruise lines charge this too? I never ever heard of that. Just another way to make money and part of the nicke and diming to death attitude.

I would never ever buy wine and then have to pay a corking fee. What a rip off!!

Yes, Princess charges a corkage fee although sometimes the waiter doesn't charge it, similar to reports that some passengers have taken on wine on NCL without being charged the corkage fee.

[terrymtex01]

Thank you! Well said! This does seem to be they way that the cruise line is moving. And if you were like many, and looked to learn most of what NCL offers by visiting their website or reading their brochure, you are lead to believe "free style" gives you lots of FREE options. I have been reviewing menus for the main dining room from some posters, and... on a few nights, the choices are very limiting and basic. Im my opinion, the cruising expereince is les than it once was. I still love it...just les than it once was.

 

And yes...I guess part of what happens is the corporations will push what the markets will bear. Seems like "we" as a general public, are willing to except less from cruiselines than was once the norm. And...when comparing prices several months ago, I didn't find much difference but thought it would be fun to try free style...at that time "free included Mexican, Italian, etc., etc. So...hopeully I will be pleasantly surprised and enjoy my first experience with NCL overall...otherwise, its back to another....

 

For us, while we enjoy having the options of the specailty dining rooms, Freestyle is much more to us than the food. The two main things we like about Freestyle would be that we do not have to rush back from a port of call, rush to take showers, rush to get dresed, etc, to make a dining time or a show. We can come back, relax, take our showers and get dressed when we want and then dine when we want. The second thing would be disembarkation day. I HATED having to leave my cabin by 7:30 or 8:00 and be herded into a waiting area crammed full of other people and having to wait for our group to be called to leave the ship. We LOVE being able to stay in our cabins until we are ready to leave the ship which could be as late as 9:30 or 10:00.

 

Maybe you will also find parts of the NCL Freestyle concept you will like other than the food.

 

but if you wanted soft drinks you had to pay extra.

Here is what bugs me....why the corkage fee with NCL,,do other cruise lines charge this too? I never ever heard of that. Just another way to make money and part of the nicke and diming to death attitude.

I would never ever buy wine and then have to pay a corking fee. What a rip off!!

 

Disney is the only mass market line that offers soda's as included, as far as I know. And, although I will surely get flammed for saying this, I do not personally think Disney is in the came class of service as NCL. Even though we have never sailed on Disney, I can't help believe they are a step above NCL, RCCL, CCL, PCL, HAL, etc, based on what I have read on CC and some other places about Disney cruises.

 

As far as the corkage fee, it's hard for me to see anyone paying that as well, but we do not drink wine. So really my opinion on that means nothing. My understanding of that is that NCL and the cruiselines that do allow you to bring wine onboard but charge a corkage fee do that so you can have the Freedom to bring the wine of your choice onboard incase it is some that you are not able to get through the cruise ship. If someone is thinking of buying their own and paying the corkage fee to save money, chances are you could get a good bottle of wine onboard for the same amount of money. We noticed many choices of wine between the $25.00 and $35.00 per bottle range.

 

If you feel that NCL nickle and dimes you to death, unless you want to go with the very high end cruiselines where the fare will cost you several times what the fare on NCL or the other mass market cruiselines would, you might want to find another vacation other than cruising. You will be charged for very little on NCL, if anything, that you do not get charged for on other cruiselines.

 

I have an article that shows the alcohol policy of all the major cruiselines I would be glad to share with you if you are comfortable giving your email address on here. I can't post the link because it is with CC's competition and I think my post would get deleted.

[CanadianTwosome]

For us, while we enjoy having the options of the specailty dining rooms, Freestyle is much more to us than the food. The two main things we like about Freestyle would be that we do not have to rush back from a port of call, rush to take showers, rush to get dresed, etc, to make a dining time or a show. We can come back, relax, take our showers and get dressed when we want and then dine when we want. The second thing would be disembarkation day. I HATED having to leave my cabin by 7:30 or 8:00 and be herded into a waiting area crammed full of other people and having to wait for our group to be called to leave the ship. We LOVE being able to stay in our cabins until we are ready to leave the ship which could be as late as 9:30 or 10:00.

 

Maybe you will also find parts of the NCL Freestyle concept you will like other than the food.

 

Hallelujah, Brother!! :) You think it's good having those choices with the two of you? Try it with a 10 year old!! :p

[CruisinEurope]

Hallelujah, Brother!! :) You think it's good having those choices with the two of you? Try it with a 10 year old!! :p

 

 

ABSOLUTELY!

 

We are "freestyle spoiled"

 

I SOOOO want to try other lines and ships just for my own comparison sake - but am actually VERY worried that the dining and disembarkation will be a nightmare for my family.

 

We LOVED being able to eat when, where, what, and how much we wanted.

 

We LOVED being able to decide when to leave the ship based on OUR needs - and not having to get up at some ridiculous hour just because they need to clean our rooms.

 

We LOVED that the buffet food was good (really!) and that the main dining rooms had a nice selection as the cruise went on.

 

We LOVED that we could feed the kiddos at the buffet, drop them in kids club, and then DH and I could then CHOOSE whatever restaurant WE wanted to eat in - just the two of us (something that I can't see happening very well on any other line with set table mates, etc!).

 

 

 

As an aside, we actually have an RCCL cruise booked for Sept. It's only a little 5 day - as that is the most that I think I would be willing to "experience" if we don't like the set up.

 

BUT - we're willing to go in with an open mind and make lemonade out of lemons if that's what we're handed.

 

There is NO such thing as a BAD cruise IMHO - just bad vacationers. :D

[beachchick]

the ONLY one that I know of is that Paniolos (the Tex Mex) gives your first margarita on the house. Its only a $10 cover - so a wash in my book.

 

If there are more that offer a complimentary first drink - I'm not sure, but would love to know.

 

That's great, at least for me. My DH doesn't drink alcohol (and he's not alone in that). Will they bring him a non-alcohol smoothie or similar? We always buy the soda package because we both drink club soda/seltzer as our preferred beverage throughout the day and evening. If they simply offered to bring him a Coke, well...he could get that with his soda package anyway. (Of course I do realize that the other option is for me to drink both margaritas. Believe me, that kind of thing has happened on numerous occasions when there are complimentary alcohol beverages. But two is my limit and I'd be pretty well ready for a nap after that.)

 

We do love being able to dine when we choose, where we choose, and with whom we choose. (As an aside, we completely agree with terrymtex01 about the so-called quality of the so-called Tex-Mex restaurant when it was included. OTOH, we live in CA on the central coast and have very similar requirements about Mexican-Spanish-Tex/Mex restaurants. Fresh salsa and homemade chips are a must (with multiple salsa choices being a nice bonus). If the salsa isn't great and the chips are fresh and crisp (and not too greasy), then we usually aren't impressed with the rest of the meal. A final note about food, our worst meal onboard was at the Italian restaurant before the surcharge was added. It was mediocre at best (and that's being polite). We didn't finish our meal and had to go hunting down a snack later in the evening.

 

We don't cruise to eat and don't plan our day around our next meal. However, we do look forward to nice dining when we cruise and to having choices that aren't things I normally prepare in our day-to-day life.

 

beachchick

[MadBrewer]

 

Would you be happier if there were only one extra charge restaurant? Or two? Or is it only none? Seems to me that giving you the choice of six or seven is pretty special. If you don't want to pay for having ten times the choice of main courses, don't. You must understand that it costs more to inventory and prepare 50 different main courses than it does five or six. So you're paying for choice. If you don't want that choice, it's simple: Don't pay. Or cruise a line that offers only a main dining room. I really don't understand your--or Catnip's--problem.

 

I am really sorry if the examples I give are THAT confusing to people? All I meant was "The Amount included in the fare is less now than it was in 2006 & 2007!" I fear that things like "Tony & Tina's Wedding" (i.e. an increase in chargable entertainment) and further increases in chargable dining is detracting from the cruise experience. I want NCL as it was when I first started cruising when I considered the package to be so good that trying a competitor (RCCL) was a bad idea, as there was no way I would have been willing to accept that anyone could have done it better! (I kid you not). So the concept of having a couple of chargable restaurants IMO is fine. What dissapppoints now is the fact that last summer I was already paying for ones I previously only had to book (and not pay for), which is, in my opinion a downgrade to the cruise over all.

 

Berlitz Cruise guide 2007 actually says somthing like 'You would never be expected to pay for the shows on a cruise' Yet I have read that some on NCL have had to recently (Tom/Tina's wedding??) The number of chargable restaurants has increased. The price of some of them has increased. There are instances where a bigger cut is also another on-cost. All these seem to have come in since my 2006 & 2007 cruises that were out of this world.

 

If the trend continues at the current rate .. maybe 10 years from now NCL would be charging for each show and for each dining room & that would be a ferry service. I would never spend 5 days or more on a Ferry.

 

Likewise sottovoce if you want to pay for everything on top to keep the bruchure price down that's up to you but I don't think I'd like that holiday as much!

[sottovoce]

I don't think most people that do not like the pay restaurants care who spends their money on what.

 

There is this feeling that the food in the Main Dining Room will keep on getting worse and worse and everyone will be forced to pay more for food.

 

Some of their dinners in the MDR are not that good now.

And the NCL regulars here will tell you over and over that this is simply not true.

 

On our last cruise we had, among other things, terrific beef Wellington, prime rib, and rack of lamb in Jade's main dining room. The people who continue to say--inaccurately, in my opinion--that food in the main dining room is getting worse are simply stubbornly resentful that NCL now offers extra charge dining and are looking for a reason to complain. If someone--like me--tells them simply to eat in the main dining room if they don't want to pay extra, they have to have a comeback, and the easiest comeback is to say main dining room has gone downhill...even though that's baloney. Otherwise they have no argument.

 

At one time everyone ate in the main dining room and there were no extra charge specialty restaurants. So if you don't want to pay for the extra charge restaurants, eat in the main dining room, just as you did--because you had no other choice--in those long ago days. And stop complaining about it here. We're all tired of it. If you want to take advantage of the choice NCL offers, you have to pay for it. It costs more to offer fifty main courses than five or six.

 

And, if you don't think the Tex-Mex food is up to what you'd get in the best Tex-Mex places in the southwest, simply don't go to the Tex-Mex restaurant. Anyone who expects Le Bistro to be Taillevent will be disappointed, Mama's will not rival the best in Bologna or Milan, and Cagney's will not equal an $80 filet in a New York or Chicago steakhouse. I'm sure you can get better tapas in Barcelona (but just try to get it on Celebrity or HAL). Anyone with such expectations is simply smoking funny stuff.

[sottovoce]

I fear that things like "Tony & Tina's Wedding" (i.e. an increase in chargable entertainment) and further increases in chargable dining is detracting from the cruise experience. I want NCL as it was when I first started cruising when I considered the package to be so good that trying a competitor (RCCL) was a bad idea...

And what we are trying to tell you is that the package is no different than it was when you first started cruising. Back then you ate in the main dining room at no extra charge. There was a free show every night. There is still a main dining room with no extra charge. There is still a free show every night.

 

Now, NCL has added a number of new dining and entertainment (e.g., the Tony and Tina wedding show) opportunities. It costs money for NCL to have done that. You can't add all that stuff and charge the same fare as "when you first started cruising." If you don't want to take advantage of those new and additional opportunities, you don't have to, in which case you won't pay for them. Your cruise, in that case, will be just as it was "when you first started cruising!"

 

However, if you would like to choose from 45 additional main course choices at dinner, then you pay additional for that choice (and how in the world can anyone say it "detracts from the cruise experience" to have more dinner choices--when no one is forcing you to pay for them if you'd prefer not to take advantage of them?). You didn't have those choices "when you first started cruising," so to expect all of them with the same fare structure as back then is simply unrealistic.

 

I'm sorry that's so hard for you to understand. You must not be familiar with what's required to run a profitable business. You differentiate yourself from the competition and offer your patrons choices to match their desires. You can buy a car with a navigation system or not...with keyless entry or not...with a DVD entertainment system or not...but you pay extra to get them, because not everyone wants them nor is everyong willing to pay for them. But, if you didn't offer them, someone who must have a GPS in their car, or a memory power driver's seat, or whatever, will not buy your car. Do people go on internet fora and complain that Honda charges extra for a navigation system, or a moonroof, or leather upholstery? That everything should be included in the base price of the car, like it was in the 1970s? Huh?

 

Frankly, I think you just want everything for nothing. Time to learn the world just doesn't work that way. You'll get no sympathy from me.

[CastawayCruiser]

And what we are trying to tell you is that the package is no different than it was when you first started cruising. Back then you ate in the main dining room at no extra charge. There was a free show every night. There is still a main dining room with no extra charge. There is still a free show every night. If you don't want to take advantage of those new and additional opportunities, you don't have to, in which case you won't pay for them. Your cruise, in that case, will be just as it was "when you first started cruising!"

 

After reading this thread and the same complaint many times in the past sottovoce's post exactly sums up how I feel about the issue. I can't understand why having additional options is a problem when you still have the minimum that ALL other main stream lines offer. I have to assume that people feel the main dining room meals are of lesser quality because of all the other options. I don't find this to be true at all but it is the only way I can understand the opposition to EXTRA choices for a fee.

[4bellablue]

Hi All:

 

Are any of the free resturants sit down or buffet style?

[terrymtex01]

Hi All:

 

Are any of the free resturants sit down or buffet style?

 

You will have two main dining rooms, a buffet area, the Blue Lagoon and a grill out by the pool. All of those are included wth your fare.

[Kapsgirl]

just off the Star. we found the free food options very limiting....hear me out. on previous cruises we found the hours for the grill to be longer and more available. when the grill was open they were often out of most of the foods, utencils, plates...so ch the market cafe scared us with the germ factor (we all got sick and didn't want to pick up germs or spread them), room service after 3 days blah, blue lagoon was limited but we went there the most when main dining room wasn't open. everytime we walked by aqua it seemed to be closed. the charge restaurants were always almost empty for the whole cruise. The staffing and food not used since people were choosing the free option makes you wonder if they make enough with the cover charge. tried teppanyaki and found the food just okay but felt the personal attention (whole restaurant was empty and we were the only 4 at the teppan table at the time) was worth the money. overall i'm aware that times are changing.

[FireIce0010]

How can you even justify that where that' where they serve the bland and boring.

 

NCL still gives you two nice dining rooms to dine in for lunch and dinner. If you want causal fare then head up to the lido. For something a little more special, try one of dining rooms that charges much less than the competitive cruise lines in one of their specialty dining rooms.

 

To the OP, at least it's better than what you find on that floating garbage barge called Carnival Cruise Lines. You know, the lines where it supposed to be fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek::rolleyes::p

[murphalina]

I guess I had been reading alot of old reviews and was expected to have some "free" or including dining choices on the Dawn...besides the main dining room. Seems like some of the dining options aren't really worth it. For my family of four to spend $40 for Mexican...when a free dinner of same quality of food is available, doesn't make sense. The food variety is one of the reason we choose Norwegian...maybe it was a mistagek :(

 

My husband and I sailed the Spirit in 2005. We ate at the specialty restaurants almost every night and spent a FORTUNE, when there was DELICIOUS food available in the main dining room for no extra money. The specialty restaurants are sooo good, it's just too enticing. It is one of the reasons we chose to sail Carnival this time, so we can just eat in the dining room and not feel like we're missing out, and not spend any extra money. :cool:

[CatherineL]

I have to say - the speciality restaurant costs did put me off sailing on NCL, as it could mount up for a family of four. But I just priced out a 12 night med cruise and because the costs are so low for the 3rd and 4th person sharing, the price is still reasonable if you were to eat in a speciality restaurant most nights.

[Jewelfine]

I never understand why people pay extra for something that is already included.

 

Maybe in the current economy, the gratuitous money wasters are learning a painful lesson.

 

We'll see.

 

Wow so if you choose to eat in the restaurants that have a fee you are a "gratuitous money waster".

To me I know that there is an extra fee and if I choose to pay it then that is my business. You pay your fees to take the cruise in the first place, and it is still a great deal for what you pay. So to pay a little extra to make the experience better just makes sense to me - just like if I were to be on a pay as you go holiday and I choose a fine dining restaurant I would pay more then going to Denny's. And you also take your chance in a fine dining restaurant that the food won't be good.

 

And I assure you I am far from a "gratuitous money waster"

 

Just my 2 cents.

[MadBrewer]

And what we are trying to tell you is that the package is no different than it was when you first started cruising..........

 

Wrong - The Italian restaurant was not chargable for example. In fact I am sure that the Chargable ones were only Cagneys, Le Bistro and Teppanaki

 

.....There is still a free show every night.

 

Great you have cleared something up for me. This I am grateful for (sincerely).

 

.....

 

Now, NCL has added a number of new dining ....

 

 

NOOOOOOOOOO you miss the point actually they now have added retaurants to the list of PAY restaurants which were once FREE (though you did still have to book them!)

 

.....(and how in the world can anyone say it "detracts from the cruise experience" .....

 

Being charged (nickled and dimed?) detracts from it.

 

.....

You didn't have those choices "when you first started cruising,".....

I DID!!! (Norwegian Jewel June 2006!)

 

.....

I'm sorry that's so hard for you to understand. You must not be familiar with what's required to run a profitable business.....

To be Fair you have misunderstood the fact that I am saying that NOT ALL of the resturants were chargable before! Whether NCL can afford for them still to be free isn't the point as they 'were' once free.

 

 

..... Frankly, I think you just want everything for nothing. Time to learn the world just doesn't work that way. You'll get no sympathy from me.

 

As stated I have (actually have!) used NCL 'pay' restaurants. I am fearful of the growing trend in increased avenues that are now chargable that once weren't.

 

To be honest we're probably never going to agree so lets agree to disagree? I don't like having to pay for something I used to get included within the basic set up. However good for you, as it doesn't bother you. The OP was fed up with the increase in chargable restaurants (by the way did I explain that some of these used to be free?) & I agreed .. End of.

[Salt air hair]

A good friend of mine, who was cruising way before I ever started, told me on my first cruise (2002 and w/Celebrity who was home to a fee based coffee stop) "People shouldn't start paying extra for food, desserts etc, once they do the cruise lines will just start adding more and more to the "what you pay extra for"....she was right...the more people will pay extra for, the more cruise lines will add to that list. We've contributed to this by saying, "it's only $5 extra" then "it's only $10 extra" til we will eventually hit "it's only $50 extra". Like the fuel surcharges (by all cruise lines) once they got it, it was hard for them to give it up.

[4bellablue]

You will have two main dining rooms, a buffet area, the Blue Lagoon and a grill out by the pool. All of those are included wth your fare.

 

Terry,

What I ment was can you sit down and have a waiter take your order?

[johnql]

Terry,

What I ment was can you sit down and have a waiter take your order?

The two main dining rooms are both sit-down, wait service venues. For that matter, the Blue Lagoon also uses wait service.

[CastawayCruiser]

Hi All:

 

Are any of the free resturants sit down or buffet style?

 

The two main dining rooms are sit down dining with waiter service and the Blue Lagoon is also waiter service but is much less formal and more of a diner atmosphere.

[newmexicoNita]

Hi All:

 

Are any of the free resturants sit down or buffet style?

There are 2 main dining rooms, plus a bufet and Blue Lagoon on all NCL ships. (well a few do not have B.Lagoon) and yes, the main dining rooms are regular restaurants.

 

Nita