Try NCL?

We are not experienced cruisers but know many of you are. We've done 3 Celebrity Aqua class, one HAL where we got lucky and got a Neptune suite, and one Disney concierge. Loved all of them; DH needs a handicapped room.

Good friends are doing a NCL in July and want us to go along on a 7 day western Caribbean. It's not all that cheap and I've always gotten the opinion that NCL was kind of cheesy and nickel/dime sort of line. That may be TOTALLY untrue. We can't afford the Haven and I don't even want to spring for the Mini Suites.

Would we be happy?

You will love it if you like to part with extra money above the price of the cruise. They want to upgrade your dinner experience, shows and even entertainment in the atrium area is all extra. We did think their food was even with RCCL's. The service in the main dining rooms was so poor.We felt we were being steered to the specialty restaurants just to have service. Only cruise we have ever been on since the 90's where we left feeling letdown. This was last Dec. on their new ship, Escape. Nice aft balcony and room but that was about all we enjoyed about NCL.

If you liked HAL and Celebrity that's the low key and subdued environment you enjoy, I would not recommend the NCL mega ships. We are in our 30's (no kids) and thought the Escape was too busy and chaotic. You have to pre-book nearly everything. We had a fun trip but we won't do it again.

There is really no difference between their regular balcony and mini suites except for a slightly larger bathroom. I personally would not spend Haven money to cruise NCL either.

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You will love it if you like to part with extra money above the price of the cruise. They want to upgrade your dinner experience, shows and even entertainment in the atrium area is all extra. We did think their food was even with RCCL's. The service in the main dining rooms was so poor.We felt we were being steered to the specialty restaurants just to have service. Only cruise we have ever been on since the 90's where we left feeling letdown. This was last Dec. on their new ship, Escape. Nice aft balcony and room but that was about all we enjoyed about NCL.

Additionally, I found NCLs smoking policy to be very bad. Casino was like a chimney.

Friends don't let friends cruise NCL.

NCL=Neveragain Cruise Line.

Not sure what ship or cabin you have but if are open to trying the Haven on NCL, I thought that it was *really* good. Nothing cheezy there. We have cruised on Silversea and although the Haven experience wasn't quite there, I must say that I was impressed.

RK

twenty years ago we did about 3 or 4 cruises on NCL and were happy at that time. Jump forward to 2012 - worst cruise ever, service horrible, MDR food horrible, we ate in the specialty restaurants every night after that because it was so poor. The entertainment was good however, and there seems to be much more to do after dinner hours. I can see wanting to go to have a good time with friends, but I would definitely book specialty dinners every night as soon as prebooking allows. We actually have thought of trying Pride of America in Hawaii, but with the idea of eating in the specialties. We are more interested in the itinerary on that cruise than the ship experience.

NCL just wasn't a good fit for us. We sailed in 2010. We spent a week on the Pride of America. For us it was the up-selling that did us in. As we walked onto the pool deck one afternoon, it had been taken over by tables selling all types of souvenirs. It reminded us of Tijuana,Mexico. The same stuff that had been in the ships store that day was now on the deck. It made it so difficult to lounge on the deck or even get to the other side of the ship. There always seemed to be pre-made drinks that the wait staff was walking around trying to get us to buy. I don't think we went anywhere on the ship where I wasn't asked to buy something. We knew as we left the ship that we wouldn't be back. I'm sure it fits for some, but personally, I avoid it.

We cruise NCL frequently ... I'm hanging out here because we want to try X ... and while there are extra cost items, we find the cruises very enjoyable.

All of the entertainment is free except for dinner shows, where there is either a Cirque du Soleil style show (on the Epic) or another similar show on the Breakaway, Getaway and Escape and a dinner is served. When we were on the Epic the large budget Blue Man Group show was free, and very well done. On the smaller ships all of the entertainment is free with the possible exception of a "murder mystery lunch" where a meal is served. We find the live music, and variety shows in the main theater to be better than Princess and Disney (by the third day .... there's only so much Disney Dreams I can take). NCL has the most live music going on in the lounges and even a very well done dueling pianos show that we attended four times.

I don't know which size ship you are sailing on, but the extra charge items are:

1. Specialty dining in their steakhouse, Italian, French, etc. restaurants costs extra, but many times you have a few nights included as a perk. Besides the pay venues, there are at least two complementary main dining rooms and a 24 hour "pub food" place called O'Sheehans. The buffet is also complementary and is pretty good as well. We have always been happy with the free food, and disappointed with the extra cost options! On embarkation day one of the main dining rooms is open for lunch, as well as the aforementioned O'Sheehan's.

2. NCL's drink package charges you 18% gratuity even if it is include "free" as a perk. If you drink enough to spend $95 per week each (the amount of the gratuity) then the beverage package is a good deal. It covers only bar drinks (no specialty coffees, no bottled water, etc.), and you pay the difference for any drinks over the $15 limit. Most of the drinks are under that amount. One caveat is that they have a very small wine by the glass selection that is included, so if you are a wine lover, check out their wine packages (or bring as many bottles on board as you want, subject to a $15 corkage fee no matter where consumed). The dining plan also charges you 18% on the "value" of the plan if it is included as a perk.

3. There is a room service fee, except for continental breakfast items (coffee, tea and then cold items like muffins, etc.) ordered between 6 and 10 AM. The fee is $7.95 per delivery. There are extra cost items on the room service menu; if you order one of those the $7.95 fee is waived. They briefly tried to restrict people taking food from the buffet back to the cabin and then rescinded that restriction after a social media revolt.

4. They allow smoking in the casino, and on one side of the pool deck, and one side of the upper deck above the pool deck on most ships. Smoking is prohibited everywhere else, including balconies that are now smoke free.

5. The Epic is a strange ship; let me know if that's the one you are on and I'll describe some of the oddities.

6. I have only seen the handicapped cabins on one ship, the Star, and it was spacious, included a ramp and elevated balcony floor, and my mother was very comfortable in it.

We like the Freestyle dining concept, and especially enjoy no set dining times in the main dining rooms. We have never had to wait more than a few minutes for a table, and we like getting a table for two (or just our party if traveling with others). It is casual all the time with no formal nights, very similar to what X does now.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have. I'm disappointed in NCL over the changes the past two years, but I see plenty of people in other cruise forums (including this one) where the sentiments are the same.

I see many posts here saying never sail NCL --- we prefer Celebrity and Princess but don't feel that way at all. We have had several very enjoyable NCL cruises but it is a different experience from Celebrity or HAL. The atmosphere is much more festive, the entertainment is better and certainly more extensive, and a dress code is non existent except in a couple of the specialty restaurants. As long as we recognize this going in, we're fine. I do have to admit that we usually buy a package and eat several nights in the specialty restaurants, but the buffet and the regular dining room as OK as well. There is nickel and dining, but it's hard to avoid that on all the mass market cruise lines these days. We sometimes do things with friends that maybe wouldn't be our first choice, but we still have a great time because we're all together. I say, try NCL for yourself and then decide what you think.

We are not experienced cruisers but know many of you are. We've done 3 Celebrity Aqua class, one HAL where we got lucky and got a Neptune suite, and one Disney concierge. Loved all of them; DH needs a handicapped room.

 

Good friends are doing a NCL in July and want us to go along on a 7 day western Caribbean. It's not all that cheap and I've always gotten the opinion that NCL was kind of cheesy and nickel/dime sort of line. That may be TOTALLY untrue. We can't afford the Haven and I don't even want to spring for the Mini Suites.

 

Would we be happy?

I think it is impossible for anyone on this forum to tell you if you will be happy.:)

You will love it if you like to part with extra money above the price of the cruise. They want to upgrade your dinner experience, shows and even entertainment in the atrium area is all extra. We did think their food was even with RCCL's. The service in the main dining rooms was so poor.We felt we were being steered to the specialty restaurants just to have service. Only cruise we have ever been on since the 90's where we left feeling letdown. This was last Dec. on their new ship, Escape. Nice aft balcony and room but that was about all we enjoyed about NCL.

We have done six NCL cruises as well as nice on Celebrity. Celebrity is our first choice, but lately NCL has some great bargains.

Our latest NCL cruise was on the Sun to Alaska and it was the best we have ever had on NCL. The food and service were, surprisingly, on par with Celebrity.

We have found that paying extra for entertainment was only on one NCL ship,, the Epic. The other ships that we have been on, Gem, Jade, Star and Sun, that was not the case.

NCL seems to have toned down its announcements and pushing sales like photos and beverage packages, which is good.

I see many posts here saying never sail NCL --- we prefer Celebrity and Princess but don't feel that way at all. We have had several very enjoyable NCL cruises but it is a different experience from Celebrity or HAL. The atmosphere is much more festive, the entertainment is better and certainly more extensive, and a dress code is non existent except in a couple of the specialty restaurants. As long as we recognize this going in, we're fine. I do have to admit that we usually buy a package and eat several nights in the specialty restaurants, but the buffet and the regular dining room as OK as well. There is nickel and dining, but it's hard to avoid that on all the mass market cruise lines these days. We sometimes do things with friends that maybe wouldn't be our first choice, but we still have a great time because we're all together. I say, try NCL for yourself and then decide what you think.

Agree with this. If OP deosn't expect it will be like HAL or X, they will have a good time. Great entertainment...especially lounge entertainment better than any other line we've cruised. I remain of fan of several of the lounge acts. Food is better than RCCL but not as good as X or HAL, in my opinion and experience, of course. The changes made since O'Sheehan left have not been good ones from my point of view although we're not affected by many of them. We have the beverage package on our upcoming Escape cruise. I was surprised by the upfront gratuity and don't like the feeling that one must get one's money's worth! Also don't like that water is not included. We've taken many great NCL cruises, only one in a suite, and enjoyed every one of them. We switched mostly to HAL and X due to NCL itineraries not going where we wanted to go, having taken most of those NCL offered.

There is nothing wrong with NCL. I had heard those things about them being a sub-par cruiseline, but I've done a 4-day on the Sky (which I think is their oldest/smallest ship) and then a 7-day on Getaway and they were both nice cruises. The Sky is certainly showing its age, and I'd be wary of cruising on it now especially on the 3-day weekend cruises because all drinks are included in the price now and I have a feeling it would be one big drinking party.

The Getaway was a gorgeous ship. I got a great rate and I splurged on a weeklong pass for the spa which is absolutely fabulous. It was certainly livelier than Celebrity--in ambiance was more like my RC Oasis cruise. And yes, smoke in the casino was unpleasant but I don't spend time in the casino so walking through was bearable--and the ventilation seemed better than the Sky by far as there was way less smoke in the Getaway casino. There are so many dining options, many of which are no extra charge. And the extra-charge dining is significantly less expensive than Celebrity's. There were a ton of entertainment options too, most at no extra charge, though you did need to make reservations for them (or you could wait at the door and probably get in due to no-shows if you wouldn't mind lining up 20 minutes in advance of the start time.)

I would sail on any of the newer NCL ships again without question. As a couple of posters have said, it's really about what you want in a cruise. NCL is more of the livelier/active school of cruising like RCCL and Carnival, rather than the more relaxing/sedate style of cruising like Celebrity and Princess. All good, just different.

NCL just wasn't a good fit for us. We sailed in 2010. We spent a week on the Pride of America. For us it was the up-selling that did us in. As we walked onto the pool deck one afternoon, it had been taken over by tables selling all types of souvenirs. It reminded us of Tijuana,Mexico. The same stuff that had been in the ships store that day was now on the deck. It made it so difficult to lounge on the deck or even get to the other side of the ship.

Celebrity does this too. At least they did on Infinity last year and it wasn't just spa items. Plus there was the constant upselling of beverage packages and specialty dining.

OP "It's not all that cheap and I've always gotten the opinion that NCL was kind of cheesy and nickel/dime sort of line."

If it is not that cheap , I'd stick with Celebrity or Princess . It is a nickel/dime sort of line but we enjoyed our Epic cruise this Summer . Food and entertainment were as good as any . Yet it would have to start cheaper for me to cruise NCL again . If I found a deal no problem .

Additionally, I found NCLs smoking policy to be very bad. Casino was like a chimney.

We have done six NCL cruises as well as nice on Celebrity. Celebrity is our first choice, but lately NCL has some great bargains.

 

Our latest NCL cruise was on the Sun to Alaska and it was the best we have ever had on NCL. The food and service were, surprisingly, on par with Celebrity.

 

We have found that paying extra for entertainment was only on one NCL ship,, the Epic. The other ships that we have been on, Gem, Jade, Star and Sun, that was not the case.

 

NCL seems to have toned down its announcements and pushing sales like photos and beverage packages, which is good.

We have cruised 10 Celebrity and maybe 12 NCL total but lately do 2 X for every 1 NCL. The key to NCL is that on one half the nights you need to pay up for either Le Bistro or Cagney's and then on other nights go to one of the small free dining rooms which are fairly nice. We absolutely do not care for the MDR on either cruise line: too big, too impersonal, and if something comes out wrong you wait forever to find your waiter. It seems like you can cruise on NCL for about 65% of the cost of similar Celebrity cruises.

In all fairness my perspective on cost is slanted since we always do AQ on Celebrity so with the recent crazy cost increases by X NCL has been looking better and better (but we love Blu).

We are not experienced cruisers but know many of you are. We've done 3 Celebrity Aqua class, one HAL where we got lucky and got a Neptune suite, and one Disney concierge. Loved all of them; DH needs a handicapped room.

 

Good friends are doing a NCL in July and want us to go along on a 7 day western Caribbean. It's not all that cheap and I've always gotten the opinion that NCL was kind of cheesy and nickel/dime sort of line. That may be TOTALLY untrue. We can't afford the Haven and I don't even want to spring for the Mini Suites.

 

Would we be happy?

Sounds like you might not be....not to mention that a Western in July seems like off off season...so should be less $$

Different cruise perspective between NCL and Celebrity

.maybe join your friends another time...compromise on Royal C

We are not experienced cruisers but know many of you are. We've done 3 Celebrity Aqua class, one HAL where we got lucky and got a Neptune suite, and one Disney concierge. Loved all of them; DH needs a handicapped room.

 

Good friends are doing a NCL in July and want us to go along on a 7 day western Caribbean. It's not all that cheap and I've always gotten the opinion that NCL was kind of cheesy and nickel/dime sort of line. That may be TOTALLY untrue. We can't afford the Haven and I don't even want to spring for the Mini Suites.

 

Would we be happy?

Had some friends that left after a Eclipse 14 day trip to go on the Breakaway. They just walked down the pier to the ship. They absolutely hated it! They felt nickel & dimed every time just to get decent food etc. The specialty rest. are very good, but you shouldn't have to suffer through pretty lousy food & service just to have a decent cruise. I'd suggest a short cruise on their ships to see if you like it. The Havens & villas are a TOTALLY different world, however. For those who say Cunard has "snob" zoning, I'd suggest the Haven, if you really want to be able to "look" down on everyone else.

On several cruises that we have booked on other cruise lines, certain amenities were downgraded after booking -- but we were grandfathered in. I keep reading on CC that whenever NCL makes a downgrade, even folks after final payment get the shaft. That is what will keep me from even considering NCL after next month's Pride of America cruise [where thankfully most of our suite perks have been maintained since booking -- except of course that we can no longer bring bottled water onboard!!!]

I agree that the nickle and diming of NCL is absurd these days. The recent bottled water restrictions are absolutely nuts.

The problem with NCL I have is they try and advertise a low rate, but to get any perks you have to book an "upgraded" cabin. The "upgraded" cabin is no bargain, and then you have to pay perk gratuities on top of that. At the end of the day, the product with perks is not worth the price they charge.

I would take an NCL cruise, but it would have to be last minute with a cheap rate even with the perks added in.

I agree that the nickle and diming of NCL is absurd these days. The recent bottled water restrictions are absolutely nuts.

 

The problem with NCL I have is they try and advertise a low rate, but to get any perks you have to book an "upgraded" cabin. The "upgraded" cabin is no bargain, and then you have to pay perk gratuities on top of that. At the end of the day, the product with perks is not worth the price they charge.

 

I would take an NCL cruise, but it would have to be last minute with a cheap rate even with the perks added in.

As I said before, we have done 6 cruises on NCL and 9 on Celebrity.

We prefer Celebrity, but NCL can be a great bargain on some cruises.

1) one poster commented negatively on the MDR food and service for both cruise lines. Generally, we find Celebrity to be more consistently good on food and service, but on our NCL Sun Alaska cruise this month, we had fantastic dining in the MDR and our service was just about perfect.

Further, in 15 total cruises, DW and I have had less than half a dozen entres that we sent back or didn't care for. We simply asked for another and that worked for us. Perhaps people like to exaggerate regarding food, yes, once in a while the food is average, but never on the level described by some here.

2) Yes, NCL has shown more of the nickel and dime, however in our recent Sun cruise, we saw little or none of that, like we saw on the Star two years ago.

3) Many cruise lines have gone to the bundling of perks like beverage packages, internet, etc., causing their overall prices to grow. We dislike this trend and that pushed us to book two cruises on Royal Caribbean out of Sydney in 2018 that were the old fashioned bottom line prices. Also, the prices beat both NCL and Celebrity.

Also, regarding the bottled water issue on NCL. We still drink the ship's tap water. However, our daughter was on our cruise and bless her heart, she had to pay for bottled water, a water package for the cruise cost her about $25. WOW that really hurt.

Friends don't let friends cruise NCL.

 

 

NCL=Neveragain Cruise Line.

NCL's aft penthouse suites on their Dawn and Jewel class ships are some of the best bang for your buck cabins at sea. Service is extraordinary, and the food ain't bad either. Not big on the mega ships though. Too many people. Been on HAL, Carnival, Costa, and X.

I have found that if you want to take a chance on a "guaranty" booking with no perks, their prices are great, but once you want to pick a cabin, even without perks, the price goes up substantially.They are the only line that values the UDP at $79.00pd, and the only line that adds 18% on top of that.That by itself puts NCL over RCCL, Carnival, Princess, and Celebrity.If you love the product, go for it, but for me, their are many other choices to throw my money to.