NCL cruiser new to HAL

[debbeck]

Is there a surcharge for using the Retreat area of the pool?

[Hawaiidan]

NCL service suffers from the " freestyle" of their dining.. A waiter will most times never see a passenger more than once and can not as such learn the wamts and needs of his or her client. . The staff at bars too are so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of passengers 2400 to 2800 on NCL and 1300 to 1700 on Holland America.

Then too NCl mass markets themselves to everything from bikers to slam-dancers. The resulting mix of humanity brings some less than well behaved folks in to a less than harmonous relations . Too, they draw a lot of parents with problem kids and they turn them loose and staff is overwhelmed and I assume frustrated by the people problems they encounter. Its not that NCL staff are bad or rude... they are just over worked and stressed out by the work load. Too many rats in the box so to speak.

As to the food id is ni NCL's best interest to not serve the best food in the " free dining" room and to up-sell passengers to the speciality restauraunts of which there are almost a dozen... and where a couple will easily drop $100 per meal. Shorty pour drinks or drinks on 70 proof rather than 80. I had a good relation with a bar manager on a NCL cruise once and got good service after a $50 bill changed hands I got excellent drinks and pours... maybe to the demise of others passengers.

But as they say money talks and BS walks.

Cabins... an inside NCl is the same side as and outhside balcony on NCL

The passenger to crew ratio is this one key factor.