NCL goes All Inclusive on one ship. Cruise competition heating up?

[Cfudge]

NCL just announced via email that one of their older ships, the Sky, is going All Inclusive when it comes to drinks. Everyone over 18 on board automatically gets the free alcoholic drink package. Could be interesting to see the cruise industry get into a "perk war".

http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/sky?...O_EML_hero_EML_SHIPSKY_SKY092915_NA#inclusive

 

[kaseyC]

NCL just announced via email that one of their older ships, the Sky, is going All Inclusive when it comes to drinks. Everyone over 18 on board automatically gets the free alcoholic drink package. Could be interesting to see the cruise industry get into a "perk war".

http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/sky?...O_EML_hero_EML_SHIPSKY_SKY092915_NA#inclusive

You mean over 21, right? NCL doesn't allow under 21 yr olds access to the alcoholic drink packages. With parent permission 18-20 yr olds can purchase beer and wine on some itineraries but DCL allows the same on their European cruises.

 

[Cfudge]

You mean over 21, right? NCL doesn't allow under 21 yr olds access to the alcoholic drink packages. With parent permission 18-20 yr olds can purchase beer and wine on some itineraries but DCL allows the same on their European cruises.

Ahh that makes more sense...this is from NCL's All Inclusive FAQ:

"
Is beer and wine included for guests between the ages of 18 and 20?
Yes. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 can consume wine and beer only while onboard and with the consent of an accompanying parent.
"

 

[kaseyC]

Ahh that makes more sense...this is from NCL's All Inclusive FAQ:

"
Is beer and wine included for guests between the ages of 18 and 20?
Yes. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 can consume wine and beer only while onboard and with the consent of an accompanying parent.
"

They used to allow parents to sign the waiver at check in while embarking in Miami but recently they are having you wait until the ship is out to sea.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You mean over 21, right? NCL doesn't allow under 21 yr olds access to the alcoholic drink packages. With parent permission 18-20 yr olds can purchase beer and wine on some itineraries but DCL allows the same on their European cruises.

An option my sons are really looking forward to on the Escape next May (18 & 20 at sailing).

 

[Maggie'sMom]

NCL just announced via email that one of their older ships, the Sky, is going All Inclusive when it comes to drinks. Everyone over 18 on board automatically gets the free alcoholic drink package. Could be interesting to see the cruise industry get into a "perk war".

http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/sky?...O_EML_hero_EML_SHIPSKY_SKY092915_NA#inclusive

I don't see NCL starting this on one older ship sparking a " perk war.". Didn't RCCL or CCL try this on one ship for limited cruises earlier this year?

 

[Cfudge]

I don't see NCL starting this on one older ship sparking a " perk war.". Didn't RCCL or CCL try this on one ship for limited cruises earlier this year?

Good question! Not sure. RCCL has been offering it as one of the free perk choices for 1st and 2nd guest for a while, but not just a flat "take the padlock off the liquor cabinet" for all that I've seen.

 

[kaseyC]

I believe Celebrity has started something like this... where they have different rate tiers and the highest pricing tier is basically all inclusive. It's their "Go big, go better and go best".

http://www.celebritycruises.com/htmlpage/big-better-best-a

 

[perditax]

NCL just announced via email that one of their older ships, the Sky, is going All Inclusive when it comes to drinks. Everyone over 18 on board automatically gets the free alcoholic drink package. Could be interesting to see the cruise industry get into a "perk war".

http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/sky?...O_EML_hero_EML_SHIPSKY_SKY092915_NA#inclusive

Hmm, free booze isn't my idea of all-inclusive. I want inclusive internet, specialty coffee and specialty dining too. As it stands, that just sounds like a huge booze cruise.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

This was announced last spring for 1 vessel. If I am not misstaken at that time it was supposed to include everything i cludokng all resteurants.Considering that NCL has been one of the lines making more and more cut backs, it is not likely to be a perk war.

More a test vessel to see if it is received well and the ship sells cruises becuase of it.

Another interesting point not announced is the cost. And what happens to cruises rates.

AKK

 

[Ariel484]

Hmm, free booze isn't my idea of all-inclusive. I want inclusive internet, specialty coffee and specialty dining too. As it stands, that just sounds like a huge booze cruise.

You just described my dream cruise.

 

[elephant98]

Living in South Florida, I cut my "cruise teeth" on the 3 and 4 day cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. (As well as the 1 to 2 day "cruises to nowhere" which are no longer available these days.) It was not only a good way to introduce ourselves to the brand, but also relatively inexpensive. You could easily get an inside or oceanview cabin for $199 to $250/person before taxes, port charges and gratuity. And, though I haven't really researched the shorter cruises in a long while, a cursory search of some upcoming NCL Sky sailings shows that this pricing is still available now depending on the sailing. So, the inclusive drink package and other recent offerings by NCL (like free wi-fi or specialty dining) appear to be actual perks at this point. That's pretty cool. But, I imagine that if this promotion were ever made permanent or extended fleetwide that the base price of the stateroom would ultimately be increased to account for cost of the perks that are given. Time will tell.

 

[perditax]

Ok, I've been trying and trying to figure out why there was no active thread about this on CC, and I almost started one until I took a close look at the date on that press release; it seems this news is from April.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You just described my dream cruise.

Might want to look at NCL Haven class because having all those things for 1 price is a thing.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Living in South Florida, I cut my "cruise teeth" on the 3 and 4 day cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. (As well as the 1 to 2 day "cruises to nowhere" which are no longer available these days.) It was not only a good way to introduce ourselves to the brand, but also relatively inexpensive. You could easily get an inside or oceanview cabin for $199 to $250/person before taxes, port charges and gratuity. And, though I haven't really researched the shorter cruises in a long while, a cursory search of some upcoming NCL Sky sailings shows that this pricing is still available now depending on the sailing. So, the inclusive drink package and other recent offerings by NCL (like free wi-fi or specialty dining) appear to be actual perks at this point. That's pretty cool. But, I imagine that if this promotion were ever made permanent or extended fleetwide that the base price of the stateroom would ultimately be increased to account for cost of the perks that are given. Time will tell.

Agreed, except I am sure the cruise rates on the one starter ship will raise. As you pointed out, time will tell.

 

[TXDCLfan]

This was announced last spring for 1 vessel. If I am not misstaken at that time it was supposed to include everything i cludokng all resteurants.Considering that NCL has been one of the lines making more and more cut backs, it is not likely to be a perk war.

More a test vessel to see if it is received well and the ship sells cruises becuase of it.

Another interesting point not announced is the cost. And what happens to cruises rates.

AKK

It is interesting that you contently come here to point this out and have no first hand experience cruising on NCL only a few negative things that you read posted on CC. You and a few others refer to this as "cut backs" while others would say that they(NCL) are redefining what you have to pay to cruise and what you want to pay for as an "upcharge". DCL offers Palo and Remi and NCL offers 5 -count them "upcharge" options in dining while charging a way lower base cruise fare. We have found the staff on NCL to be just as friendly/good as DCL ( yes we have 13 DCL cruises under our belt), the ships to be clean and well maintained. Both of our NCL cruises sailed full and all rooms sold out so with that being said it sure looks like NCL is doing something RIGHT.
I will add one last thing ....We cruised with many families ( from our cruise meets group) that have cruised with DCL and ALL found that NCL offered a comparable experience/cruise.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

It is interesting that you contently come here to point this out and have no first hand experience cruising on NCL only a few negative things that you read posted on CC. You and a few others refer to this as "cut backs" while others would say that they(NCL) are redefining what you have to pay to cruise and what you want to pay for as an "upcharge". DCL offers Palo and Remi and NCL offers 5 -count them "upcharge" options in dining while charging a way lower base cruise fare. We have found the staff on NCL to be just as friendly/good as DCL ( yes we have 13 DCL cruises under our belt), the ships to be clean and well maintained. Both of our NCL cruises sailed full and all rooms sold out so with that being said it sure looks like NCL is doing something RIGHT.
I will add one last thing ....We cruised with many families ( from our cruise meets group) that have cruised with DCL and ALL found that NCL offered a comparable experience/cruise.

OK........your opinion noted......I never said the food wasn't good, I never said the Crews were not good, I never commented on any point that needed a cruise to confirm.

I don't believe I mentioned DCL here?

My comments have been limited to announced and discussed quite often and many many NCL fans very unhappy about cut backs in NCL cruises...........a few:.....fireworks stopped, characters stopped. Many restaurants going A La Crate in January and prices increasing greatly. entertainment cuts, . These and many others are public knowledge.



My comments about a test vessel is nothing new to the industry.....test programs are tried on many vessels and lines very often. I asked a question as to what will the new cruise rates cost for a all inclusve cruise?..........


I have never told anyone not to sail NCL, just pointed out the negative changes going on. If you have read some of my recent posts on DCL cut backs you will find I was not happy with them either.


AKK

 

[PAcpl]

OK........your opinion noted......I never said the food wasn't good, I never said the Crews were not good, I never commented on any point that needed a cruise to confirm.

I don't believe I mentioned DCL here?

My comments have been limited to announced and discussed quite often and many many NCL fans very unhappy about cut backs in NCL cruises...........a few:.....fireworks stopped, characters stopped. Many restaurants going A La Crate in January and prices increasing greatly. entertainment cuts, . These and many others are public knowledge.



My comments about a test vessel is nothing new to the industry.....test programs are tried on many vessels and lines very often. I asked a question as to what will the new cruise rates cost for a all inclusve cruise?..........


I have never told anyone not to sail NCL, just pointed out the negative changes going on. If you have read some of my recent posts on DCL cut backs you will find I was not happy with them either.


AKK

I can't comment on DCL since we have never cruised them. But we have been sailing NCL since our Honeymoon on the NCL Dawn in 2004. We skipped a couple of years when we started going to Disney and just started taking NCL cruises again. We got off of the Breakaway two weeks ago and I was floored with the entertainment. We were on the Epic last October and were also very impressed by the entertainment. Blue Man Group, Cirque, Rock Of Ages, Howl At The Moon, The Beatles Cover Band, Second City Comedy, etc. The Rock of Ages show on the Breakaway is identical to the show on Broadway except the Breakaway theater is a little bigger.

On top of that this was the first trip that our beverage package (along with Ultimate Dining Package & $300 on board credit) was a perk. In the 11+ years I have been cruising I have never had such a low bill at the end of a cruise.

 

[ilovetexas]

TXDCLfan, Normally you and I are on the same end of any disagreement with Tonka's Skipper re: other cruise lines. However, I've got to disagree with you this time. NCL has been making some moves this year that seem strange, to say the least. I'm all for capitalism and making a buck. I understand a lot of the moves DCL, CCL, etc. have been making lately. BUT, NCL has made some strategic errors here.

Raising gratuities twice in 5 months is just poor math skills on someone's part:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6449

Then they added an 18% gratuity on beverage and dining packages:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2015/03/24/is-18-percent-the-new-cruise-tipping-norm/

Then they added a room service fee on the Breakaway class (and remember, you can't go grab a plate of fruit or cookies from the buffet to enjoy after your afternoon nap):
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6277

Of course the year started with Del Rio stating they just needed $4 extra per cruiser per day. I guess his math was wrong or they wouldn't have done all those other things:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...u-to-spend-just-4-more-per-day-on-your-cruise

Any of these things (or even a couple of them) by themselves is no big deal but to shove them all down your cruising public's throat within a few months is ridiculous. No, the bottom line to individual cruisers isn't going to be huge but you know what they say...you should never let anyone see you make laws or sausages. NCL's sausage making has been very obvious this year.

Skipper is right, their cutbacks are more noticeable than others because there have been so many of them in such a short time.

 

[TXDCLfan]

TXDCLfan, Normally you and I are on the same end of any disagreement with Tonka's Skipper re: other cruise lines. However, I've got to disagree with you this time. NCL has been making some moves this year that seem strange, to say the least. I'm all for capitalism and making a buck. I understand a lot of the moves DCL, CCL, etc. have been making lately. BUT, NCL has made some strategic errors here.

Raising gratuities twice in 5 months is just poor math skills on someone's part:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6449

Then they added an 18% gratuity on beverage and dining packages:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2015/03/24/is-18-percent-the-new-cruise-tipping-norm/

Then they added a room service fee on the Breakaway class (and remember, you can't go grab a plate of fruit or cookies from the buffet to enjoy after your afternoon nap):
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6277
Actually they did away with this very quickly ..you can bring back anything from the buffet or any other place to be eaten in your room.

Of course the year started with Del Rio stating they just needed $4 extra per cruiser per day. I guess his math was wrong or they wouldn't have done all those other things:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...u-to-spend-just-4-more-per-day-on-your-cruise

Any of these things (or even a couple of them) by themselves is no big deal but to shove them all down your cruising public's throat within a few months is ridiculous. No, the bottom line to individual cruisers isn't going to be huge but you know what they say...you should never let anyone see you make laws or sausages. NCL's sausage making has been very obvious this year.

Skipper is right, their cutbacks are more noticeable than others because there have been so many of them in such a short time.

TXDCLfan, Normally you and I are on the same end of any disagreement with Tonka's Skipper re: other cruise lines. However, I've got to disagree with you this time. NCL has been making some moves this year that seem strange, to say the least. I'm all for capitalism and making a buck. I understand a lot of the moves DCL, CCL, etc. have been making lately. BUT, NCL has made some strategic errors here.

Raising gratuities twice in 5 months is just poor math skills on someone's part:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6449

Then they added an 18% gratuity on beverage and dining packages:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2015/03/24/is-18-percent-the-new-cruise-tipping-norm/

Then they added a room service fee on the Breakaway class (and remember, you can't go grab a plate of fruit or cookies from the buffet to enjoy after your afternoon nap):
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6277

Of course the year started with Del Rio stating they just needed $4 extra per cruiser per day. I guess his math was wrong or they wouldn't have done all those other things:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...u-to-spend-just-4-more-per-day-on-your-cruise

Any of these things (or even a couple of them) by themselves is no big deal but to shove them all down your cruising public's throat within a few months is ridiculous. No, the bottom line to individual cruisers isn't going to be huge but you know what they say...you should never let anyone see you make laws or sausages. NCL's sausage making has been very obvious this year.

Skipper is right, their cutbacks are more noticeable than others because there have been so many of them in such a short time.