BC_Eagle_1976

Hi,

Like most things they all have some plus and minuses.   A definite plus for Carnival is their Guy Burger and fresh made pizza.  Guy's is a midday on deck offering and has just fantastic burgers!   Don't know why they are so good but my wife and I both agree they are the best.  Carnival also offers a great flat iron steak in the main dining room included in the regular dining that is head and shoulders better than all the other cruise lines we've been on.  I could eat it every night.

We are platinum on NCL and receive 2 free meals on our cruises.   Cagneys has a great filet mignon that steak lovers should like.   The best specialty restaurant though is Moderno.   It is a Brazian  churrascaria which is fantastic.   We don't eat a lot of red meat but when on a cruise it's a great treat, especially the filet wrapped in bacon.   

You did not ask but Royal Caribbean's food is not always my favorite.   Some of the  meals are just fine but but they do not seem to have as many options and too many meals are hit or miss.

But no matter what I'd rather eat anything on a cruise then prepare my own meals at home (and I'm a decent cook).

Happy cruising!

John

My wife and I were on this cruise. Frankly I do not know how anyone who was on board can defend NCL. We have been on over 35 cruises and have never complained before but this cruise was a disaster.

First of all let's put the weather issue to rest. Only one port (Ponta Delgada) was canceled due to weather. Brest was a ruined port as we spent more time getting on/off the ship then actually in port. I do not care if the port authorities were at fault or not - NCL is responsible for all aspects of the cruise. If the port did not handle the gangways properly our issue is with NCL not the port. You can think of the port authorities as a sub-contractor to NCL. If they screw up NCL is still responsible to the passengers.

As for Southampton and Zeebrugee the issue with these ports are directly attributed to the technical/mechanical issues with the propulsion system slowing our speed. Even with the slow line to get off the ship had we arrived anywhere on time most of us could have salvaged some part of our day in Southampton. I had prepaid for a Stonhenge bus tour out of Salisbury but did not get off the ship until it was too late to make even the final bus of the day at 4pm. Zeebrugee, which was the main attraction we selected this cruise (wanted to see Bruges) would have been a better stop than any of the ones we attempted.

So to summarize: - Ponta Delgada - canceled due to weather

- Brest - major issues getting on/off the ship (NCL at fault)

- Southampton - total wash out due to late arrival coupled with UK immigration (NCL at fault)

- Zeebrugee - canceled due to propulsion speed issue (NCL at fault)

My wife and I were happy to be cruising and did try to make the best of things but the repeated issues and the total lack of customer support left a foul taste. We feel as though NCL made constant excuses for problems and accepted little responsibility even though weather was an issue for only one port.

I would like to bring up 2 other issues that I have not seen mentioned yet. First, regarding the line for UK immigration, an NCL published schedule stated that guests on NCL booked tours would be getting off first and then they would call passengers deck by deck. Many of us who had purchased tours for Southampton on our own were concerned that we would be late so we inquired about being able to get in line early to exit the ship. Guest Services was of little help but told us that if we got in line outside the dining room where the immigration was to take place then we would be able to go after the NCL tour guests had completed. Well many of us did just that. My wife and I were one of the first few that started the line at about 10am (about 2.5 hours before we even docked). We waited patiently in line for hours as we watched those that bought NCL tours get through. When the NCL tour guest finished the announcement for deck 14 was issued. We had waited in line for over 4 hours for naught as they did not let us go. Why let us think that we had a chance to get off if there were never any intentions to allow it? By the time we were let though it was too late to visit Stonehenge. We lost our money for the tour (no refunds) and we wasted the day in a line that served no real purpose. If we had known at least we could have enjoyed the day on board (we missed lunch while waiting in line) and gone thru immigration once the line was gone. It seems as if no one in Guest Relations knew how things would work. We were told a story just to get rid of us. The truth is always better.

Second, issue i have not heard is regarding a second "mandatory" life drill in Brest. While in line waiting to get off the ship we were told by NCL staff that we had to return by 3:30pm for a mandatory 2nd life drill because we had been at sea for so many days. I specifically questioned about this and was told it was a regulation and that we could not set sail until it happened. But because of all the delays re-boarding the ship the drill did not occur and was never rescheduled. Were we lied to about the drill being mandatory or did we break a regulation? One has to be true. Does anyone on board recall this? I wonder why no one has brought it up.

Lastly I personally resent anyone who was not on board making comments (saw drama queen comments more than once) about those passengers who paid good money and did not get what they paid for. My wife and I do not complain about minor issues in hopes of getting some retribution. I do feel it is within my rights to be given some retribution for a service/product that was not delivered. The $100/pp non-refundable OBC is not satisfactory. I have written NCL and they responded that they were sorry but there is nothing more they can do. Actually there is more they can do but they choose not to do anything. Someone mentioned in a prior message that they received some additional OBC beyond what they gave everyone. This would really anger me. If one deserves credit then we all do.

I accept and realize that there is little we can do if they refuse to acknowledge their part in a less than adequate cruise. However I have written to the Florida BBB and will be contacting the Florida Attorney General office. I realize this may also be in vain but at least I am taking action and urge others who feel they did not get what they paid for to do the same. And finally I have no further plans to use NCL. My guess is they lost a few other clients as well. I also sold my stock in the company because if this is indicative of how they treat customers it is only a matter of time before it catches up to them and affects the share price.