European itineraries - good port and destination talks, enrichment lectures, etc.?

I've been on one Norwegian cruise and overall I was a little disappointed. It was a Canada/New England cruise and while the ports were wonderful, I felt the knowledge of the staff was lacking. The port and shopping talks on board were almost a joke. The shopping "expert" knew nothing about the ports we were going to. It was clear she knew the Caribbean itineraries but Canada and New England were not her thing. On most cruises I've been on, there are destination talks and enrichment lectures about the places we would be seeing, and the speakers on other cruise lines have been very impressive, but Norwegian offered nothing like that. I don't know if it's because it was a New England cruise so maybe there wasn't as much to teach the passengers as there would be if it were a European itinerary? Or maybe the one Norwegian cruise I went on was a fluke, and normally they have staff who are very knowledgeable about the ports you'll be visiting?

 

I'm looking at an England/Ireland/Scotland cruise. Norwegian is about $1,000 less than Princess, but I'm afraid I'll be disappointed if Norwegian doesn't offer any destination talks about the ports. Can anyone who has sailed on Norwegian on a European itinerary offer any feedback on the extra "enrichment" type activities typically on board?

The only enrichment type things on board that I have heard of are on Alaska cruises where a Ranger comes on board and narrates during part of the glacial run. Also on Hawaii cruises local ambassadors will come on board in port and do enrichment programs while docked.

 

I have never heard anyone mention lectures on any of the NCL Euro cruises. Usually these cruises are so port intensive and everyone had done their own due diligence and figured out what they want to see and how to do it DIY or with private tours booked before sailing.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Sauer-kraut

The most you will get is a bulletin board at the front desk with rudimentary info about the current port. Sometimes they include a one-sheet "port guide" in the Freestyle Daily; last time we had to ask for it each time at the front desk.

 

Generally there are no enrichment lectures in the program on European sailings. Norwegians prefer Bingo. :D They sometimes offer half-hour classes in conversational Spanish or Italian etc. Does that count?

 

On our last cruise the Captain was very talkative and gave us a lengthy history of every port upon arrival. But that is pretty unusual. There were also shopping talks, but I didn't go.

Agree with the above. If you want enrichment, go with Celebrity.

 

The only exception I've encountered on NCL was when Gary Gladding was the CD on the Jade.....very cultured guy, although a bit straight for me.....from memory did all sorts of talks on ports and countries on the East Med itinery.

 

And the shopping talks are generally going to be punting stuff from shops NCL have "deals" with.....usually from the only mine in the world that these gems come from, and the last few gems are now available.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Froggitt

Agree with the above. If you want enrichment, go with Celebrity.

 

The only exception I've encountered on NCL was when Gary Gladding was the CD on the Jade.....very cultured guy, although a bit straight for me.....from memory did all sorts of talks on ports and countries on the East Med itinery.

 

And the shopping talks are generally going to be punting stuff from shops NCL have "deals" with.....usually from the only mine in the world that these gems come from, and the last few gems are now available.

You are right, We went Celebrity in Feb from Buenos Aires to Antartica they had an onboard speaker specifically for the area, he was amazing really passionate about his subject. To the Contrary we've never found much enrichment on an NCL Med cruises. If you need enrichment it's best done on the internet before you go.

The closest thing to enrichment on NCL would be me sailing round the world giving my "lectures" on Sports Betting Trading every other day.

The only port info available on board on our European was either on one of the looping TV channels or from the shore excursions desk. However I don't really think I'd bother sitting in on one even if they did have it as I do plenty of research in advance. As you're looking at a cruise over a very contained area, why not just pick yourself up a guide book to the UK? Problem solved.

Edited August 25, 2016 by SquishTheWhale

 

I'm looking at an England/Ireland/Scotland cruise. Norwegian is about $1,000 less than Princess, but I'm afraid I'll be disappointed if Norwegian doesn't offer any destination talks about the ports. Can anyone who has sailed on Norwegian on a European itinerary offer any feedback on the extra "enrichment" type activities typically on board?

 

 

 

I've been on four European cruises with NCL and I am currently booked on NCL's British Isles itinerary embarking in Southampton next May. I've attended some excellent "edu-tainment" lectures on board my various NCL cruises from time to time, but I'd have to say I've seen this type of enrichment activity more consistently available on other cruise lines.

 

 

 

For example, on my NCL Mediterranean cruise there was a fairly decent series of lectures on the history and culture of the various ports. (Gary Gladding was the CD for that cruise.) On our recent Baltic cruise, there was an interesting series on Carl Faberge by a rep from one of the onboard shops. In South America, the assistant cruise director developed and delivered a series of three lectures on the geology and history of the region. Whether these examples were the result of corporate commitment or motivated individuals (with varying motivations) I'm not sure.

 

We looked at the Caribbean Princess' British Isles itineraries and decided they weren't for us. The ship holds 3K people. We had seen reviews that described the ship as "crowded" and there have been issues getting 3K people back-and-forth during tendering. We decided to save the money and choose the smaller ship.

Edited August 25, 2016 by polySeraph

Thank you, everyone, for the helpful replies. It sounds like NCL just doesn't put as much emphasis on enrichment as some of the other cruise lines do. Which is okay. I realize it's not for everyone. I know a lot of people would much rather be laying by the pool than attending a port lecture, but I am a nerd a love learning about the places I will be visiting.

 

While the suggestion to get a guidebook is not a bad one, for me, there's just something about hearing a live lecture from an expert. On a Royal Caribbean Eastern Mediterranean itinerary, there was a retired professor who gave fascinating talks about the pyramids in Egypt and about Pompeii in Italy. Going to his lectures, and then seeing the real thing the very next day, made me appreciate it so much more. On a Princess Panama Canal cruise, we had a destination expert who gave numerous presentations about the canal before our transit day. Again, it just made the experience that much more fulfilling for me.

 

Now, is having the opportunity to experience these enrichment activities worth $1,000 more in price? That I'm not quite sure of...

CC's Ports of Call forum may save you the $1,000

With the vast numbers of reviews, ports forum and Internet in general most people just do their research on ports of call before they cruise.

https://www.ncl.com/port-of-call

Edited August 26, 2016 by Single Cruiser

I'd recommend Simon Schama's excellent History of Britain. There's the full 3 volume book and the amazing BBC documentary, both of which are available on Amazon. $28 for the 14+ hour DVD set leaves a lot left over to spend on private tours, etc. Even if you add a portable DVD player so you can watch on board.

 

 

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OP, if the port lectures are a priority for you, I would encourage you to ask when they are scheduled over on the Princess forum. There have been several good trip reviews of the Caribbean Princess' British Isles itineraries recently. Perhaps you could ask one of the reviewers if he or she recalls when the port talks were scheduled.

 

The reason I suggest this is that the first sea day (when port lectures are usually held) on many of the British Isles itineraries is not scheduled until Day 6 of the cruise. (For example, on the Jade's British Isles itinerary, there are 5 consecutive days of port calls before the first sea day.) This means that the port lectures will either be held in the evenings during port days or on the sea days after the port calls have already taken place.

Edited August 26, 2016 by polySeraph

NCL doesn't do enrichment... and that's too bad.

I have to disagree with all of the comments saying NCL does not do enrichment.

While we have only done one European cruise (Italy, Greece, Turkey) so far, the port lectures from CD Gary were outstanding.

He even went to the effort of telling us, come to the front of the ship as we sail into Istanbul, and I will point out the landmarks to orientate yourself as you leave the ship. Even tho I have been there before, this reminder was very helpful.

And Gary of his staff would be on the gangway at each port for last minute advice on our way out. And always there to greet us as we come back.

 

Yes, everyone does their homework before a cruise, but the additional insight from the CD was wonderful.

 

 

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I have to disagree with all of the comments saying NCL does not do enrichment.

While we have only done one European cruise (Italy, Greece, Turkey) so far, the port lectures from CD Gary were outstanding.

He even went to the effort of telling us, come to the front of the ship as we sail into Istanbul, and I will point out the landmarks to orientate yourself as you leave the ship. Even tho I have been there before, this reminder was very helpful.

And Gary of his staff would be on the gangway at each port for last minute advice on our way out. And always there to greet us as we come back.

 

Yes, everyone does their homework before a cruise, but the additional insight from the CD was wonderful.

 

 

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Gary Gladding was a one off CD and left NCL years ago.....nowadays you need to be great bingo caller to make CD.

In my experience, you won't know about enrichment until you board the ship. On our last cruise (RCL), we had lectures on economics. I would much prefer history lectures related to the destinaion.

 

I make sure that I watch youtube videos, read books and do my own research before I go. I am always surprised by people who don't even plan out possible excursions and just see what is available through the ship the day before the visit.

 

Rick Steves has good info. We downloaded some of his audio guides for Rome. I just sat in the Sistine Chapel with my Kindle and earbuds and let Rick tell me about what I was seeing...The same for the Coloseum.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Markanddonna

Gary Gladding was a one off CD and left NCL years ago.....nowadays you need to be great bingo caller to make CD.

I've been quite underwhelmed by all my recent CDs, too, but I would never expect them to do enrichment lectures on top of… whatever is it they do all day.

 

Cruise lines that commit to providing an intellectual program don't just rely on existing staff members having the knowledge and desire to do lectures in their free time. They bring experts on board, and they pass the costs along to passengers. Other lines also bring clergy on board for religious services, and the passengers pay for that, too.

 

NCL passengers are happy to pay to have magicians and comedians on board; historians, economists, geologists… not so much.

Edited August 26, 2016 by hawkeyetlse

I've been quite underwhelmed by all my recent CDs, too, but I would never expect them to do enrichment lectures on top of… whatever is it they do all day.

 

Cruise lines that commit to providing an intellectual program don't just rely on existing staff members having the knowledge and desire to do lectures in their free time. They bring experts on board, and they pass the costs along to passengers. Other lines also bring clergy on board for religious services, and the passengers pay for that, too.

 

NCL passengers are happy to pay to have magicians and comedians on board; historians, economists, geologists… not so much.

 

I read an article one time that said most destination experts, lecturers, etc. actually are not paid. They might get a free cruise out of it, and that's why they do it (and because they love the subject they speak about), but very few are paid much at all, if anything.

If you want cheap enrichment, check out Rick Steves' free mobile app (definitely on iPhone, assume Android). He specializes in European travel. We downloaded it while we were at home and selected which port cities/countries we were going to on our Mediterranean itinerary. He has walking tours for many well known sites (e.g., Coliseum and Pompeii in Italy) and interesting interviews with local experts.

Gary Gladding was a one off CD and left NCL years ago.....nowadays you need to be great bingo caller to make CD.

 

Spot on

I've been on European cruises on two other cruise lines, and now have one booked with NCL. European itineraries are port-intensive: there is a new port every day, with maybe a few scattered sea days. There is no time for enrichment lectures. I've found these are provided on transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and Alaska.

 

I agree that Rick Steves audios are a great way to learn about ports, as well as the TripAdvisor app.

I read an article one time that said most destination experts, lecturers, etc. actually are not paid. They might get a free cruise out of it, and that's why they do it (and because they love the subject they speak about), but very few are paid much at all, if anything.

They may not be paid, but there is still a cost to the cruise lin. The lecturer gets a free room, possibly bringing along a spouse, maybe they get their travel paid for, etc. Someone at the cruise line has to deal with recruiting, vetting, and scheduling all these lecturers. The ships have to set aside space, equipment, and crew for the lectures, etc. I don't know what the cost is in real terms, it's obviously not millions of $, but if it's not something that customers are clamoring for, there are plenty of cheaper/easier (or even profit-making) things they can fill the daily program with.

 

This is not another mindless "big bad money-grabbing NCL" post. I really think that in this case, what NCL offers in terms of enrichment (i.e. next to nothing) corresponds to what NCL customers want.

Edited August 28, 2016 by hawkeyetlse

Did the TA last year. There was a bridge director/tutor and wife/assistant on board. There were maybe 40 or so pax every day playing bridge 1pm to 3pm. It was in Cucina.

 

All in all, minimal cost, but 40 very happy pax. Presumably comes from the daily entertainment budget.

They may not be paid, but there is still a cost to the cruise lin. The lecturer gets a free room, possibly bringing along a spouse, maybe they get their travel paid for, etc. Someone at the cruise line has to deal with recruiting, vetting, and scheduling all these lecturers. The ships have to set aside space, equipment, and crew for the lectures, etc. I don't know what the cost is in real terms, it's obviously not millions of $, but if it's not something that customers are clamoring for, there are plenty of cheaper/easier (or even profit-making) things they can fill the daily program with.

 

This is not another mindless "big bad money-grabbing NCL" post. I really think that in this case, what NCL offers in terms of enrichment (i.e. next to nothing) corresponds to what NCL customers want.

 

 

 

And I had those general knowledge lecturer with their power point presentations from hell. I am very happy that NCL does not have those. I very much would appreciate lecturers but they need to be good and that is not as cheap.