What is the worst Cruise line that you have sailed on

[momofmeg]

Try to remember this attitude at two time in the future -- say at 20 year intervals: I predict that at age 47 you will wonder if anyone remembers your saying it, and at 67 you will happily pay cash money to not have to spend time in an amustment park.

 

Navybank teacher I may be a glutton for punishment but I do want to go back to Bush Gardens in Tampa. We went there on our honeymoon (along with Disneyworld-LOL) and our 30th is coming up and we are talking about going to Tampa again for our actual 30th-since that was where we stayed for our honeymoon. No Disneyworld though! I am not THAT sentimental!

 

I also liked Seaworld and did want to go back there-that whale killing that poor woman a couple of years ago has turned my taste for that off.

 

BTW-We are doing a 30th celebration early with a cruise-leaving in 3 weeks for Barcelona and the Soltice for a Med. Now that is more to my taste for a celebration! Our 27 year old daughter is going with us.

[boogs]

A week at a theme park would be the most amazing vacation ever! Even a day at a theme park is amazing!

 

I can guess that you are considerably younger than me-at well over 50 plus and actually kissing 60-nope theme parks no longer have an allure for me-LOL! believe me your time will come if you live long enough.

 

Try to remember this attitude at two time in the future -- say at 20 year intervals: I predict that at age 47 you will wonder if anyone remembers your saying it, and at 67 you will happily pay cash money to not have to spend time in an amustment park.

 

I'm 62, my wife 57, and our friends 65 and 56. We spent a fantastic week at Walt Disney World this past December instead of a cruise (we took a 14 day Baltic cruise together the year before, and are all taking a 14 day Med cruise later this year, both with several days sightseeing before and after the cruise). The "boys" rode all the rides multiple times, the wilder the better, the "girls" shopped until they dropped, and we all enjoyed the entertainment, parades, and shows. From the time the gates opened, to when they forced us out at closing time, we were on the go. We had so much fun we are planning on doing it again in a couple of years. This summer we are planning on visiting Knotts Berry Farm in Southern California, and probably Universal Studios in Hollywood.

 

Physical age is not the determinator of how much fun a person will have - it's how young a person feels in SPIRIT! We refuse to succumb to feeling "old".

[Putterdude]

Hands down our worst cruise ever was on HAL's Oosterdam in December. After all the good things we had read about HAL our cruise was a major surprise and disappointment; frankly we will not likely return to HAL anytime soon.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=94985

[momofmeg]

There is one other theme park I liked well enough I would still return-Epcot Center-outside of that the only way I will return to Disneyworld is if my daughter gives me a grandchild-since I doubt that will happen-I guess I will not be returning.

 

Besides for what a week at Disneyworld costs?-well that will cover my Med cruise cost for sure-probably even a good chunk toward the airfare. Guess WHICH I would rather do-LOL!

[spunkyhungry]

I'm 62, my wife 57, and our friends 65 and 56. We spent a fantastic week at Walt Disney World this past December instead of a cruise (we took a 14 day Baltic cruise together the year before, and are all taking a 14 day Med cruise later this year, both with several days sightseeing before and after the cruise). The "boys" rode all the rides multiple times, the wilder the better, the "girls" shopped until they dropped, and we all enjoyed the entertainment, parades, and shows. From the time the gates opened, to when they forced us out at closing time, we were on the go. We had so much fun we are planning on doing it again in a couple of years. This summer we are planning on visiting Knotts Berry Farm in Southern California, and probably Universal Studios in Hollywood.

 

Physical age is not the determinator of how much fun a person will have - it's how young a person feels in SPIRIT! We refuse to succumb to feeling "old".

Good post! I don't know why everyone else is giving me a hard time. No matter what you say, I will always love amusement parks. Going to an amusement park is always the best day ever. My grandpa came with us to Disney World when he was 77 and rode the rides with us. He seemed to be having a great time.

 

Anyway, this isn't really the point of this thread.

[momofmeg]

Good post! I don't know why everyone else is giving me a hard time. No matter what you say, I will always love amusement parks. Going to an amusement park is always the best day ever. My grandpa came with us to Disney World when he was 77 and rode the rides with us. He seemed to be having a great time.

 

Anyway, this isn't really the point of this thread.

 

As I said I will go to Disneyworld if I become a grandmother and I will also pretend to love those rides too-LOL! heck I might even enjoy it-just seeing a little one's excitement would make you enjoy it I think! I do not think you can go by the fact that your grandfather enjoyed it IF he was with his grands!

 

In the mean time I will take the worst cruise from hell over a week at Disneyworld.

[Deamagoli]

We have been on the Celebrity Equinox in the Mediterranean and the Solstice in the caribbean for spring break with our kids.

My husband and I were a little disappointed that the food was exactly the same as was the entertainment.

This obviously did not ruin our cruise, but it did make us think twice about where to book our next cruise.

Our next cruise we have decided to try NCL. I'm crossing my fingers that the bad reviews for NCL are flukes. Though my husband and I tend to enjoy ourselves wherever we are. So, here's to hoping this next cruise is a good experience.

[Jana60]

What is the worst Cruise line that you have cruised on.What made it bad for you. Was it the ship, the service or the food.

 

Let,s all go to the Caribbean.:):):)

 

NCL worst cruise I've had for service. Only NCL cruise I ever went on that had good service was the Old Norway but our room smelled like sweage and the ship blew up 1 week after we got home and was retired. RCCL on the Monarch was the worse overall cruise due to discomfort of ship (broken down garbage scow) and inferior service but had good service on other RCCL cruises.

[Havin'fun]

We have enjoyed all of the cruises we have taken but our least favorite ship was the Carnival Miracle.

 

Didn't care for the gaudy decor especially all those grapes in the main dining room. We had 3 sea days in a row and there was not much offered for entertainment during the mornings and afternoons. Lunch was the same limited choice every day - no soups or salads offered. Their version of my time dining was a joke - take a beeper and wait up to 90 minutes to get a table.

 

We did enjoy the ports and the cruise director Malcom was great.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

NCL we do not like ...

[janetz]

Carnival. Once was enough. :)

[Jana60]

In 1990, took my first cruise on the SS Norway, and loved it!! Took five cruises on her since then (because it was cheap, and I liked the Eastern itinerary). Last Norway cruise was in late March 2003, two months before the fatal boiler explosion which took her out of service forever. Haven't been on any NCL ship since then.

 

I was on the Old SS Norway May 2003 1 week before her engine room blew up. As far as our cruise went, the only bad thing about the Norway was the tiny 80 sq foot room for 2 and the smell of sewage in it. But despite the age of the ship the food and shows were good and she had a great quarter mile long jogging path that encompassed the entire ship. Despite the great food, we went for a brisk walk around it a couple of times after every meal and I actually lost weight that cruise. The passengers who got on when we got off were the last to ever sail on the Norway. The engine room blew up when she returned to port 1 week later and some of the crew were killed. No life boats were needed mainly because she was already docked when the engine blew so I hear they just told everyone. "Get Off"! VERY SAD....:(.

[momofmeg]

In 1990, took my first cruise on the SS Norway, and loved it!! Took five cruises on her since then (because it was cheap, and I liked the Eastern itinerary). Last Norway cruise was in late March 2003, two months before the fatal boiler explosion which took her out of service forever. Haven't been on any NCL ship since then.

 

I was on the Old SS Norway May 2003 1 week before her engine room blew up. As far as our cruise went, the only bad thing about the Norway was the tiny 80 sq foot room for 2 and the smell of sewage in it. But despite the age of the ship the food and shows were good and she had a great quarter mile long jogging path that encompassed the entire ship. Despite the great food, we went for a brisk walk around it a couple of times after every meal and I actually lost weight that cruise. The passengers who got on when we got off were the last to ever sail on the Norway. The engine room blew up when she returned to port 1 week later and some of the crew were killed. No life boats were needed mainly because she was already docked when the engine blew so I hear they just told everyone. "Get Off"! VERY SAD....:(.

 

A good friend of mine was head wine steward on that ship when the disaster happened. That was his last contract working on a cruiseship.

[enyliram]

costa .CARLA C. eons ago .first cruise, inside cabin. the bugs were rampant and the cabin steward was stationed in the hall with a can of bug spray Raid. would go inside the cabin with us and chase the roaches bugs off the beds. if that sounds disgusting, it was.

didnt stop us from cruising. now have more than 50 cruises since then.

[JimShockz]

P.S. Our worst cruise was on The Carnivale with Carnival. That was back in 1989. We had an awful inside cabin. No tv, bench style cots(can't call them beds), When we'd go to our cabin, we called it the dungeon. We haven't sailed Carnival since, but we're looking at The Glory for a NE/Canada cruise in Sept. We have sailed Celebrity, RCCL, Princess, Disney, NCL. The NCL Star was a beautiful ship 10 yrs. ago, but if I recall, the food sucked, except in the specialty dining, which was near excellent! We loved the bathroom in the balcony cabin. I think when we're used to having things a certain way, and we get used to a level of service, it's tough to keep an open mind.

 

We had a similar experience with that line also,the food was sub standard for the duration.:eek:

 

-JS

[hazeleyez3]

Definately Norwegian's Pride of America. It was for our honeymoon, so we splurged on a suite. Ports were absolutely wonderful...ship and crew were pathetic.

 

Embarkarion Day: broken mirror, 2 empty and broken gin glasses, no towels, and dirty linens. We had to call the head of housekeeping.

 

Our balcony was right below a smoking section, so there were always ashes and butts on the floor. Steward refused to clean the balcony...had to get in touch with the head of housekeeping.

 

Food: There were 3 nights they were out of the entrees that were said to be offered every day. I found that the dinner menus that were posted outside the dining room were not always the same they gave you at dinner. There was one night I ordered something like a chocolate kalua cake...which they didn't have. It was the 3rd night that we ordered something they were out of, so I asked if there was a reason why...their reason "we ran out of the two main ingredients."

 

There was a stench in the hallway that many passengers complained about.

 

Debarkation: They "misplaced" all of the suite guests luggage. It was about an hour of so after we were all of the ship that they found where the staff had stored it.

 

There were a few other things, but those are the ones that stuck in my head.

[FTLcruisers]

NCL - wouldn't go back if they gave us a free cruise.

[Smokeyham]

I've had nice cruises on NCL, and on our last cruise with them we had the good fortune to get upgraded to VIP (suite) status. It definitely made a huge differerence in the experience, as a number of other posters have said.

 

Having access to "Cagney's" for breakfast, and being able to call the concierge for assistance was great. I'm not sure I would be willing to pay for that higher level of service, and would likely to go to a more upscale line for approximately the same cost.

 

We will be travelling on Princess this year (not in a suite), so I will be interested to compare Princess with NCL.

[crooooze]

NCL is my least favorite cruiseline. Having sailed with them 4 times, I can't say I hate them. Their cruise prices are reasonable and I love their 7 day Bermuda sailing from NY.

 

However, in my opinion, their main dining room and buffet food is pretty bad compared to Disney, Princess, RCI, and even Carnival. To get their best food, you need to pay $15-20 per person at one of their premium restaurants.

[momofmeg]

NCL is my least favorite cruiseline. Having sailed with them 4 times, I can't say I hate them. Their cruise prices are reasonable and I love their 7 day Bermuda sailing from NY.

 

However, in my opinion, their main dining room and buffet food is pretty bad compared to Disney, Princess, RCI, and even Carnival. To get their best food, you need to pay $15-20 per person at one of their premium restaurants.

 

Crooze I pretty much agree with you. NCL is okay but far from the best. It is a budget line after all (unless you book those 3 bedroom 3 bath villa suites that have a separate living room and a pool they share with other villa guest on the jewel class ships) but we do cruise them. We just eat in the specialty restaurants at least 3 nights of the 7. since we usually cruise at the more costly times as our daughter works in our county school system, we have found even doing this, that we can cruise for less money than on most of the other lines. Carnival is the exception-they are pretty cheap-but I do not like their atmosphere-too old for that now.

 

I will say this, the only point I disagree with you- but it was only 1 Disney cruise, (only 1 under my belt) but I found their food just so-so-okay but nothing special. I did love Palos though and I can say Palos had the best food of any specialty restaurant I have eaten.

 

Needless to say when hubby and I cruise on our own,minus our daughter, we do go for better lines than NCL. However, we have found if it is not a holiday time, that the cost of cruises is not that much different between NCL and better lines.

[Deamagoli]

We've cruised twice with Celebrity (within 6 months). We love the line, and the staff are amazing. We were a little disappointed with the fact that both the ships (Solstice & Equinox) looked exactly the same inside. The other thing we were disappointed in was though very good the food was exactly the same as on our first cruise. This made us decide to try NCL for our next cruise. Now you all have me in a panic because everyone seems to dislike the line so much. I hope I haven't made a terrible mistake booking with them. We're doing the Western Caribbean in November & I booked an inside room to keep the cost down. Don't get me wrong, we're not snobs or anything, we can have a good time just about anywhere, I'm just worried it's going to be a booze cruise with school lunch style food. Oh well, live and learn right. We might just enjoy ourselves anyway.

[spunkyhungry]

I love NCL! I don't understand why so many people dislike it.:confused:

[boogs]

I love NCL! I don't understand why so many people dislike it.:confused:

 

And so many of us don't understand why you love it. :D

 

The style is certainly not for me. Too much of an amusement park atmosphere for my tastes. I prefer a touch of elegance and sophistication, not a playground and local mall ambiance. I guess this is why different cruise lines survive because of their differences, not because of their similarities.

[Suitcasefull]

We've been on NCL Spirit and Pearl and enjoyed them both. Don't know what ship you're on but loved both these......bright and cheerful. Lots of things to do if you want, many places to lie out on deck or just hang out in a quiet spot if you prefer while on board. There are lots of partiers but you can get away from them. (I think)

Don't know anything about inside cabins since had balconies. The food in buffet and MDR was better than we had last time sailing HAL. Just find your table before getting food in the buffet. Only ate in LeBistro specialty and was disappointed there.

They accomodate you any way you need. The stewards and people in dining areas were very helpful and friendly, as were anyone we met in corridors. We don't chat with the cruise director as some do but seemed friendly enough. Probably only people I didn't care for were the sales clerks in perfume and clothing areas which was surprising since their job is to sell.

Don't let the complainers get to you. Go, find out for yourself and see if NCL is a good fit for you. As someone once posted........."You're on vacaton; what's to hate?"

[momofmeg]

We've been on NCL Spirit and Pearl and enjoyed them both. Don't know what ship you're on but loved both these......bright and cheerful. Lots of things to do if you want, many places to lie out on deck or just hang out in a quiet spot if you prefer while on board. There are lots of partiers but you can get away from them. (I think)

Don't know anything about inside cabins since had balconies. The food in buffet and MDR was better than we had last time sailing HAL. Just find your table before getting food in the buffet. Only ate in LeBistro specialty and was disappointed there.

They accomodate you any way you need. The stewards and people in dining areas were very helpful and friendly, as were anyone we met in corridors. We don't chat with the cruise director as some do but seemed friendly enough. Probably only people I didn't care for were the sales clerks in perfume and clothing areas which was surprising since their job is to sell.

Don't let the complainers get to you. Go, find out for yourself and see if NCL is a good fit for you. As someone once posted........."You're on vacaton; what's to hate?"

 

I really liked the Pearl, but the Sky was not so good and the Sun was only a little better than the Sky. I have said that if we book NCL again maybe we should stick with the jewel class.