J Carnaghie wrote:


Tom M. wrote:
To All,

My wife and I sailed on the Norwegian Dawn Dec. 13 to Dec. 20. I came
away with less that a favorable impression. The first day we dined at
Le Bistro. The food was good but if you wanted lobster, there was a
charge above and beyond the normal charge.

When we returned to our suite we assumed we would find our last piece
of checked luggage. Instead I found a nasty letter from the luggage
police. I proceeded to the room where they were holding my luggage
hostage. When I walked in I was asked which piece of luggage was mine.
I pointed to it and was instructed to put it on the table, open it,
and step back.

The cop saw plastic beer bottles in my luggage and said "here's the
problem, you cannot bring beer on board". I responded with "those
bottles are filled with wine, my wife does not want glass bottles in
our checked luggage". He then said "I will have to charge you a $15
corking fee". I paid it and sprung my bag. I found out later that NCL
charges $15 for each bottle of wine you bring on board, whether you
consume it in you stateroom or at dinner.

We are Royal Caribbean cruisers and have bought wine at ports of call
and brought it back to our stateroom without a hassle.

Other things that soured us is:

If we ran out of ice in the afternoon, we had to fetch our own.

If you bought liquor at the port, both lines will confiscate it. RCL
would bring it to your room on the last day of the cruise. Usually
around noon. NCL holds your liquor until 9 PM on the last day and you
have to go get it yourself.

RCL delivers luggage tags on the last day. NCL forces you to go down
to the desk for your tags.

RCL excursion desk is staffed all day, NCL 6-9 PM.

The toilet in our room did not work until 11 PM the first day and
broke again 2 days later.

Our knowledge of RCL is a year old. If any of you have been on a RCL
cruise and the above recollections have changed, please respond to this
post.


Thanks in advance,

Tom M.

Dear Tom,
Sounds like the Norwegian Dawn people have started the "cost
containment" measures for real.
Did they charge you $15 per beer bottle full of wine? I wonder what
would have happened if you had used water bottles?
Did you say "Hello" to your steward with a $10 or $20 bill in your
hand the first day and remind him/her that you liked afternoon ice
service? I've found that method works wonders, and for all kinds of
other special requests.
NCL is fighting to stay "alive" and this type of service will
certainly not be a help.
Cheers,
John in LALALand (On the Left Coast)
John,

I was charged $15 for 1 bottle of wine. In reality I had the equivalent
of 3 bottles. We did not see our steward until the third day. You see
tipping is automatically added to your account on a daily basis. There
is no need for the steward to introduce them selfs to you. I called the
front desk on the first day, I was told that the stewards do not work
between 3-6 PM.

Cheers back at you,

Tom