Cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line first time

[grneyedldy]

We were just wondering if anyone has sailed on Norwegian Star 10 days in Caribbean? We have cruised 4 times with RCCL and 4 times with Carnival. I have been reading many mixed reviews and am getting anxious about cruising with Norwegian. I would like to know what to expect. One of our cruises was aboard Carnival Holiday. It was a cheap cruise and I didn't expect much so I wasn't disappointed. Could someone also tell me what beverages are offered for free on board? I have also read that some passengers bring along bottled water. Is it acceptable to do so?

 

Any information provided would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

JC

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. To get information specific to a ship or cruise line, it helps to ask you question on the forum for that line. So, on the Boards page, under Cruise Lines A-O, you will find Norwegian Cruise Line. There will be lots of folks there eager to tell you about NCL and your ship. You also might check to see if there is a roll call for your sailing. there you can meet other who will be sailing with you. EM

[Atomica]

Definitely hop on over to the NCL board on CruiseCritic; there's plenty of people over there who've sailed the Star multiple times.

 

The Star will probably be a vast improvement over your trip on the Carnival Holiday; the Star is a much larger, newer vessel with far more amenities than Holiday had.

 

Regarding free beverages: coffee, iced tea, tea, and water (not bottled) are provided free, usually in the Lido buffet area. Juice is usually provided free of charge during breakfast. Specialty coffees, like Espresso, are available for purchase. Beer, wine, spirits, soda, smoothies - all carry an extra charge; however, this is normal for all mainstream cruise lines.

[grneyedldy]

Thank you for a very quick reply.

As I am new to Cruise Critic, I have been checking out the board

and have been reading reviews. I am a fast learner...lol.

 

I will check the Roll Call and see who will be on board at the time we sail.

 

Thanks again,

JC

[mikewrit]

The Star to Alaska was our first cruise. We loved it. She'll always be our first love. We're boarding her for the second time six days from now. She's just now unloading passengers in Vancouver, B.C., and will spend the week heading down the coast to Los Angeles. I'm a little apprehensive that the crew may be frazzled and the ship a bit tired by the time we head out for Cabo, the Canal and Miami. She's had a little trouble this year with the thrust bearing on one of her Azipods, but I think she's due for a few days in drydock before she begins the Caribbean run.

[grneyedldy]

Thank you mikewrit for your input. I have read about the Star's problems. Some say it was fixed, others say no. Someone actually was in touch with Norwegian personnel and they said there is no schedule for drydock in near future. So, go figure. I just hope we all have a smooth sail.

 

Thanks again,

JC

[BIG_Steve]

We were just wondering if anyone has sailed on Norwegian Star 10 days in Caribbean? We have cruised 4 times with RCCL and 4 times with Carnival. I have been reading many mixed reviews and am getting anxious about cruising with Norwegian. I would like to know what to expect. One of our cruises was aboard Carnival Holiday. It was a cheap cruise and I didn't expect much so I wasn't disappointed. Could someone also tell me what beverages are offered for free on board? I have also read that some passengers bring along bottled water. Is it acceptable to do so?

 

Any information provided would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

JC

 

I've sailed with NCL twice. Both were perfectly fine. NCL seems to get a fair amount of good/bad reviews. But I've never had anything but very good service. Our 3 day cruise had mediocre food, although it was perfectly fine considering the cost of the cruise. Really, I wasn't expecting steaks from a Chicago steak house at Applebee's prices, you know? When we went on the Pearl for 7 days, the food was very good. Both ships had good shows too.

 

One thing I like about NCL is that you can either party hearty, or relax. On our one Carnival cruise there was no escaping the craziness.

[meaclasact2]

Welcome to cruisecritic. I agree with the other posters - join your roll call. It's a great way to meet folks on your cruise.

 

My husband did not want to go on a cruise - he finally agreed, and our first cruise was out of NY on the Dawn. It was a wonderful trip. We enjoyed being able to eat when we wanted to (that is the "free" in freestyle - nothing is "free" as in no cost, anymore, but when you want to eat is your choice), and we didn't have to get dressed up - unless we wanted to.

 

The end result is that we have cruised every year on NCL since that first cruise in 2006.

 

I will make one suggestion - do try the specialty restaurants - Le Bistro is my favorite, or Cagney's - another good choice. Try them at least once - the food is different, and it's like being in a small restaurant. Also you might like to try the Jazz Brunch in Le Bistro if it is offered. We loved the music and to see that pretty room lit up with natural daylight is (depending on your ship) a real treat.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[emcelh]

Each time we cruise we look at options for NCL as well as other cruise lines but keep coming back to NCL. The draw for us is the Freestyle concept, which I understand isn't for everyone but not having to pack anything but casual clothes and eating when and with whom we please is very appealing to us. Sometimes there's a short wait for a table for two in the MDR but that's never been an issue for us. We've never had a bad experience on NCL. People sometimes complain about extra charges things that they didn't pay for on another line. My guess is that they did pay, and so did everyone else even if its a service or activity they didn't take advantage of. Maybe that's how NCL keeps their fares so competitive. :)

[flowerchild]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

A bit of advice; take the negative reviews you read here with a BIG grain of salt...some people are very picky, some aren't. Some people see only negatives, whereas some people are more on the positive side; glass half empty or full personality differences. Some people compare thier experiences on other lines to NCL and they can be very different animals. Some people compare today's cruises to cruising in the past, and things have changed significantly in keeping up with these economic times. You know what they say about opinions, everybody has one. I happen to be a glass half full kind of person and usually find little to complain about. When I do have an issue, I address it with the proper channels to get it resolved instead of being upset and bashing the cruiseline here. Nothing is perfect, but if you want to spend your vacation being upset, nit-picky and negative, you are pretty much guaranteed to have an awful time, IMHO.

 

Keep in mind that NCL is unique in the sense that it offers more a la carte pricing...the cruise fares are amongst the lowest in the industry, but there are upcharges for many things; specialty dining, beverages, spa area passes, fitness classes, etc. People call it being nickle and dimed, but I see it differently. On NCL, you pick and choose what interests you and pay for exactly what you want.

 

Case in point, we fly Spirit Airlines a lot because of the low fares. People complain about the carry on baggage fees and the fees to pre-select seats, but I like them for the same reason I like NCL, I can pick and choose what is important to me and pay for just that. As long as you are an educated consumer and go into it with your eyes open, you will be well prepared to have a wonderful cruise experience.

 

We cruise on NCL because of the pricing and freestyle. We love being able to eat when, where and with whom we want. We love not having to dress up for dinner. I've had better food on other cruiselines, but as long as I find something on the menu that I like, I am happy. NCL is more understated than other lines, too, in decor and staff/passenger relations. There are no parades through the ship and no belly flop contests, nor is the staff ever present, in your face, all the time. It is more laid back. There are less activites than you may experience on other lines.

 

To summarize, you will see differences between lines, no doubt. But, as you see on these forums, there are a lot of us that really enjoy NCL because of these differences. Go into it with an open mind, positive attitude and be ready to embrace those differences and you will see why we all keep coming back...Happy cruising.

[sottovoce]

There is no reason whatsoever to lug bottled water onto the ship. The ship's water is as good as or better than any bottled water you will buy.