roboref

I have just given up on NCL. Poor customer service, the worst to deal with on Covid cancellations, in-flexible expiration dates (caused by NCL), high cruise fares et al. I will just be passing on NCL, until something changes for the better.

Yes, you can purchase and bring back Cubans, but an American CruiseLine can't sell them to you

Always bring your own. NCL cigar selections are OK, but pricey. I have found them to be double of what I pay at home and not always stored properly. Have Fun

NCL is American based, so Cuban Cigars can't be sold by them.

I don't do meatless (for vegetarian diets, small segment) and the pasta is pasta, nothing special there, still way fewer than the 35 or so choices on a regular menu. Besides other lines do pasta bars at lunch. This should be recognized for what it is, downsizing and cost cutting.

Here is a menu link. 11 entrees (that is it) Norwegian PRIMA Dining Menus · Prof. Cruise (profcruise.com) I would get very tired of this menu as I really don't care (wouldn't pick) half of the dinner options. Especially if on a longer cruise!

I wonder how many times Sommers has sailed for more than a 2 or 3 day cruise. He says they have already changed it 16-17 times? Maybe they need better chefs. I think any chef would be offended if told they couldn't cook beef great 14 different ways. It will be interesting. We have 7 day coming up in 2023. We tend to do longer sailings, and 1 MDR menu would not cut it on a 28 day cruise.

Does the NCL quote include the daily service charge? The celebrity quote above includes daily tips, and the NCL quote doesn't show it (maybe it is included below what we see?). If the NCL quote does not include daily tips you would need to add $360 to the NCL quote. NCL 3140 vs Celebrity at $3247 and Celebrity is 4 days longer.

I totally agree with your characterization of Celebrity as mainstream Plus. Sorry you took my response as jumping down your throat. It was not meant that way. We sailed Epic in 2018. We had just been on RCCL mega ship Oasis, 3 months earlier and there isn't a positive comparison going NCL's way in my opinion. It is just like some people don't think I can have an opinion when I have been on NCL multiple times. I much prefer Celebrity to NCL. NCL has some really great itineraries and that is the main reason I book NCL. I love the Beetles show, but no reservations, we actually went and 1.5 early to get in so we could watch, and yes you are correct toward the end of the sailing they put them into the main Theatre because so many people and not been able to see them yet in the Cavern Club. On this particular sailing of Epic, the two main shows were repeated on other nights, so that the main theatre if you went to those 2 shows, and the beetles, you really didn't have much other entertainment options. It is just tiresome to see some NCL cheerleaders (not saying you), bad mouth other cruise lines when they haven't tried them. I try them all and can see the good, the bad, the great and the ugly of every line. I haven't had a horrible cruise yet.

I am not really anxious to start a food fight. The 2 Cruise Next were purchased in 2016. I cruised in 2018 on Epic and thought it was really not the same cruise line. Non-refundable, eh Ok, you got me there. But after the horrible experience on Epic, I tried to use the Cruise Next and yes 2 cruises were cancelled due to COVID ( I had no idea why they were cancelled). The 3rd sailing was cancelled 4 weeks after NCL Escape ran aground, completely NCL's responsibility. The cruise cancelled on a Tuesday before sailing on Saturday, this was 3-4 weeks after the mishap. Maybe NCL could do the right thing and refund the cruise Next, but No! Said I have to book prior to Jan 1, 2023, while the 50% credit has to be used by April 4, 2023. At least they could have matched up the dates. NCL should be way more flexible in the using of these credits. I pretty much don't sail in the early spring. My point being that NCL has been the most inflexible of all the cruise lines. Celebrity was non-refundable, but Celebrity refunded my next cruise deposit. I don't consider the Cruise Next people bad at all. But this is just one example of poor customer service/relations that NCL has provided. Send me your address and I might just transfer the Cruise Next to you!

Celebrity is not a luxury line compared to Regent, Oceania, Viking etc. It is an upscale cruise line when compared to the mass market cruise lines (NCL, Carnival, RCCL, Princess and Holland America). There are more amenities in the room on Celebrity, (robes, tote bags, fruit etc). The MDR is heads above NCL in general, not that I haven't had a nice meal in an NCL MDR. The service is much better in traditional dining on Celebrity than the Free for all that is Freestyle. The fact that on NCL Epic there wasn't a different main Theatre show each evening left entertainment lacking. The fact that the Beatles are in that little Cavern room is crazy. Are there things I like on NCL? Yes- The Cigar room is fantastic, that many other lines don't offer, some of the smaller no fee specialty dining that is offered is nice as well. Everyone has a favorite, many on here love NCL, I don't. At one time NCL was in top 2 of the main lines, now it has moved to the bottom. I try them all, mostly for an itinerary. NCL just has not kept up with the items that I enjoy on a cruise.

Yes, that is accurate. 2016 NCL Jewel to Alaska was so nice I purchased 2 Next cruise certificates. Used the first one in 2018 on NCL Epic. It left a lot to be desired in Food, entertainment, ship customer service. Asked for a refund on the other Cruise Next but was told NCL doesn't refund these. However, every other cruise line during COVID refunded without asking or calling any future cruise deposits, but not "No Service NCL". So, we booked NCL to Iceland from the UK in July 2020, then Covid hit, rescheduled for a TA on NCL pearl in 2021, cancelled again, rebooked on Escape for March 2022, but cancelled on Tuesday for a Saturday sailing. Your point is that I don't have much experience on NCL, that just isn't true. I loved it enough in 2016 to buy 2 future cruise certificates, it changed so much for the worse, that once my Cruise Next and the 50% credit for the cancelled NCL Escape are used this coming March, if I go at all will be my last on NCL. So, your point about going is moot as NCL hasn't been able to accommodate any of the last 3 years bookings I have made. NCL has had plenty of opportunity to "wow" me over the last 6 years, but have just left a bad taste in my mouth. I will go to cruise lines who care about me as a customer.

Your kidding, right? You haven't been on Celebrity, but you can determine whether they are, luxury or not? Celebrity is night and day different from NCL. I have been on both multiple times and NCL has to be considerably less expensive before I would choose NCL. The food in the main dining room is not comparable at all. Entertainment is much better on Celebrity. Don't compare Celebrity to Oceania or Regent, not even the same product.

NCL cancelled the NCL Escape cruises after the grounding, on Tuesday evening before sailing on Saturday, that was for several cruises. I even spoke with them on Monday and was assured the cruise would sail on Saturday, I saw other cruisers post on Tuesday night they had received cancellation notices, my travel agent called on Wednesday at Noon. Absolutely appalling!

Compare to Southwest Airlines, you make final payment when you purchase the ticket, if you find the fare goes down later, you can reprice and receive future travel funds. BTW, these funds used to expire 1 year later, but just recently Southwest went and removed the expiration date. So, yes, I do expect a lower rate or at least some OBC. NCL has chosen to go a different direction and is continuing to let FCC and Next Cruise expire without refunds, even when other cruise lines refund un-used Cruise Next. NCL gets to make the policy and as a consumer I get to choose if I give them my business. NCL has crossed my threshold, so no more of my business after I use the Cruise Next they won't refund.

I respectfully disagree. I think all testing should stop. Where else are people tested? Not many places. If the cruise lines required testing at port, I would never sign up as I have to fly to get to a port, no way would I fly and then not get to go. Even a test at the pier would not detect everyone with Covid, you could have Covid and still test negative at the pier and be a spreader 3-4 days later.

Your post will get moved to Ports of Call. My recommendation is from a 2011 cruise, but I have stayed in contact. I highly recommend GuidedToursIsrael. They helped me tremendously scheduling both port days as you are doing. 2 of the best guides I have ever had and fantastic excursions. We had a group of 12 and we could get in and around places so much more quickly than the big tour buses.

NCL lost me as a customer on this very thing, every other big cruise line has been very nice and accommodating through Covid, not NCL. I have $1100 FCC and may use it or not, but either way I am done with NCL. The customer service is very lacking.

Welcome to CC, if you criticize anything NCL, you will get flamed!

But even with your negative test you could bring COVID on the ship and give it to me. Get vaccine and then you don't have to test. Either way we can all go on the cruise and get COVID or we may not, just like on land.

Neither does testing. Think about it a test 48 to 72 hours pre-boarding is negative, but the person has Covid, but not enough to test positive. Then the cruiser flies to the port, unmasked, eats unmasked, stays in a hotel that doesn't require masks and gets on the ship. Now they are fully contagious and capable of Covid spread. Explain to me what testing did? NOTHING! Plenty of studies as well that masking doesn't really do anything either. Time to get back to normal. If people are fearful, then isolate and stay at home.

Yes, it is the stress of possibly being positive 3 days before you depart and how little testing did to stop the spread. We did a lifetime trip to Israel in Feb 2022, it was impossible to get excited and study for the trip knowing that 2 days before departure your dreams could be dashed. That trip required 3 tests (48 hours pre-departure, test on arrival in Israel, and a test to fly home). Ended up that 3 people in our group tested positive 5 hours prior to departure and remained in Israel for 11 days. After being cooped up during 2020, the desire overwhelmed the fear of tests coming in positive. But once we got some travel in, I just decided I wasn't going to do it anymore, and then I caught Covid in April 2022 on a cruise that was fully tested and vaccinated.

It is about getting the ships filled. Many like me are not cruising with the testing requirement. I am vaccinated but have chosen not to book when testing is required. I basically am not concerned with COVID any longer. I have had 5 trips where testing was required, and I am just not doing it anymore. Plus, by allowing unvaccinated to book and travel with a test, they are attempting to mitigate risks and allow another portion of the population to book. I caught COVID on my last cruise when everyone was tested and vaccinated, so all the restrictions really haven't made a difference. There really isn't a reason for the restrictions when the ships are not in a bubble. Cruisers fly to the ship unmasked, check into hotels unmasked and are generally exposed before ever reaching the ship. So, in the end testing really never did any good.

I for one don't want a drink package added to my fare, it may be "free" but add the gratuities for this package and it far exceeds my cruise bill on RCCL, even with a few drinks. Plus on RCL I get a free happy hour each evening. So when I see NCL charging $699 for a 7 day cruise and RCL $368 as well as my current preference of RCL. I guess I just am not in NCL preferred guest category.

I went and read the Q2. I stand corrected. NCL was at 65% and RCCL was " This outperformance in Q2 versus our expectations was driven by continued strength in our onboard revenue and accelerating load factors, which hit nearly 90% in June and delivered 82% for the quarter. " The point is still correct in the previous poster had said anecdotally that NCL was nearing 100% which is not correct, and my previous point was NCL would have a hard time filling up ships if they want to keep the policy of not reducing fares. When RCL is $400 for a 7 night cruise and Carnival is $150 for a 7 night cruise and NCL remains at $599 or $699, NCL will really have a hard time holding those prices!