NCL? Please allay my concerns.

[gordons4]

My husband and I have sailed on three cruises--2 to Alaska with HAL, and last year through the Panama Canal on Celebrity. We really like the Western Caribbean itinerary on the Jewel or Dawn, but are concerned about a number of negative reviews we have read here on the boards. I know it is easy to find negative reviews about any cruise line, but NCL seems to have more than their share. Could you NCL loyalists please allay my concerns?

 

Thanks so much,

 

Sheri

[sdmike]

What are your specific concerns?

 

The ships, crew, and food are great. Don't worry about it and have fun. I just got off the Jewel. My review is in my signature.

 

There are a ton of threads here comparing an NCL cruise experience to other lines. Here's one from further down the page

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1686875

 

I like your avatar picture. Got one sorta like it

 

[vols_159]

I love NCL only cruise line ive cruised to date.. Ive booked the dawn for the western Carribeian.. What some dont like about NCL in there dinning policy Its freestyle No set dinning times no table mates When you wanna go eat you go to the MDR and asked to be seated whenever the dinning room is open normally from 530 to 930 10pm Also no strict dress code.. I can wear cargo shorts in one of the MDR every single night.. No reason to ever wear a tux or suit.. They have dress up or not nights which means if you wanna wear a tux and take pictures with the captain you can but I dont have to..

[Karysa]

My husband and I have sailed on three cruises--2 to Alaska with HAL, and last year through the Panama Canal on Celebrity. We really like the Western Caribbean itinerary on the Jewel or Dawn, but are concerned about a number of negative reviews we have read here on the boards. I know it is easy to find negative reviews about any cruise line, but NCL seems to have more than their share. Could you NCL loyalists please allay my concerns?

 

Thanks so much,

 

Sheri

 

We really like the atmospheres of the specialty restaurants. To us the variety of dining choices is a big plus for NCL. We found the big dining rooms on each of the 4 lines that we have sailed to be much like a banquet hall.

[WaldosPepper]

Indeed every cruise line has their share of negative reviews, and occasionally one line seems to have more than another. Over the years I've learned that folks who have an ax to grind are far more likely to write a review than those who've experienced an absolutely stellar vacation. Go figure, huh? :rolleyes:

 

That being said, I'd encourage you to read the reviews in sdmike's signature, and read both the review and the "live from" thread that appear in my signature as well. Perhaps they'll help you see things from the eyes of some NCL Loyalists, and understand why we are so loyal.

 

If you've got some specific concerns, by all means post them here. You'll surely get answers to any and all questions you may have, and even some you didn't know you had. :D

[NMLady]

My husband and I have sailed on three cruises--2 to Alaska with HAL, and last year through the Panama Canal on Celebrity. We really like the Western Caribbean itinerary on the Jewel or Dawn, but are concerned about a number of negative reviews we have read here on the boards. I know it is easy to find negative reviews about any cruise line, but NCL seems to have more than their share. Could you NCL loyalists please allay my concerns?

 

Thanks so much,

 

Sheri

 

I have had 2 cruises on HAL, 2 cruises on Celebrity, and several cruises on NCL, including one on the Jewel. I don't know what negativity you are referring to unless it is people who want formal dress or assigned mealtimes. We loved the freestyle options on NCL, had no problems or much waiting for meals in MDR.

You will love The Great Outdoors, which is an open seating area in the aft of the ship. Buffet meals may also be eaten there.

NCL crew and service are as good as the other cruise lines. NCL has the same extra charges as the other 2 cruise line. Main difference is charge for cappuccino in MDR at dinner. That and the fact orange juice is not juice but some blend were the only negatives I had about NCL on our 5 NCL cruises, including a 33 day cruise.

[gordons4]

Thank you all so much for your replies. We are sold on NCL now. Will be booking the cruise soon. :)

 

Sheri

[AttilaTheFun]

It's worth trying NCL to see how you like it. As long as you go in with a positive attitude, you should have a great time. It might turn out that you prefer one of your prior cruise lines over NCL, but you never know!

[Snowrose]

I see that you're sounding positive about an NCL cruise now but I just wanted to add that I've sailed on HAL - which I really enjoyed - and about the only difference I saw between the two lines was that HAL in general had an older clientele. The HAL cruise I was on the average age was probably about 60. For NCL the age was more of a span, mostly between 30 to 50 or so.

[sdmike]

I see that you're sounding positive about an NCL cruise now but I just wanted to add that I've sailed on HAL - which I really enjoyed - and about the only difference I saw between the two lines was that HAL in general had an older clientele. The HAL cruise I was on the average age was probably about 60. For NCL the age was more of a span, mostly between 30 to 50 or so.

 

HAL also has set meal times and formal nights, which is something that NCL has done away with (thankfully)

 

HAL also hogged the glacier view at Tracy Arm and was bumping into icebergs. NCL have better captains? lol ;)

 

[4774Papa]

We have cruised NCL three times and Celebrity twice. Also, talked to many that have cruised on both as well as HAL, RC and Carnival.

 

I think the cruise lines have more similarities than differences.

 

What I like the most about NCL is the freestyle concept. Also, its specialty restaurants offer more variety. Further, the entertainment is pretty good on NCL.

 

Celebrity has better MDR food, such that you don't need to eat at the specialty restaurants. Also, Celebrity has nice touches, like the free champagne when your first arrive on the ship. Celebrity doesn't constantly dump stupid announcements on you and is less pushy about buying expensive spa treatments, etc. Entertainment is good and if you take a specific seating in the MDR, it is nice to get to know your tablemates.

 

Every cruise will have its negative reviews. Some people just get the wrong cabin, wrong waiter or wrong food sometimes. Also, some people have expectations that are just too high. We have enjoyed all of our cruises and will go on NCL again. However, NCL doesn't cruise to places we want to go like Australia, NZ, Asia, South America, Black Sea, British Isles and more, so we have our next five cruises already booked on Celebrity.

[camz]

NCL's Freestyle Cruising Concept is much more than dining options. Dress up, or not, no clocks, no schedules, no worries. As such, NCL's Freestyle Concept enhances a stress free cruising experience. After all, isn't that what vacation should be all about?

[NLH Arizona]

I normally cruise on Celebrity and Crystal, but have cruised most other lines once or twice. I decided to try NCL this year and was quite surprised what a good time I had. I was in a regular balcony stateroom (will be in a suite next time) and thought it was small, but efficient. The bed was fine, the storage space was excellent, it was clean and well kept. The stateroom attendant was very good.

 

I booked specialty restaurants, since I had read reviews about the MDR food, and thought all but one was great (the teppanyaki restaurant was fantastic, as was Cagney's). I thought the staff was equal to Celebrity. The ship was clean and kept up well. Cruisers were probably about the same (you have your rude ones and your nice ones), except for the fact that they were much more casual and partied more, so it was a little louder than a Celebrity ship...thought it was strange that young and older men didn't take their caps off in the restaurants or wore jogging suits to the restaurants, but I guess to each their own. There were more children on board, many well behaved and, of course, there are always those that were not supervised and ran amuck. The buffett was a mess as far as seating was concerned, I tried once for breakfast and once for lunch and gave up both times and then learned that you have to go really early or really late if you want a seat, otherwise you have to walk some distance and by the time you get into the alternative seating, your food is cold. The food at the buffett was quite good, like the idea that there were different stations for each type of food. Even though it was the end of April, the chair hogs were there putting items on chairs very early. I thought the front desk was overwhelmed at times and had a hard time answering people's questions, which made the lines longer than what I was use to. The casino was fun, but got extremely smokey.

 

All in all, it was a nice alternative and now I can take a cruise on NCL along with one on either Celebrity or Crystal, for a change of pace. I believe that you vacations is what you make of it, so if you go in with an open mind, I'm sure you will have a great time.

 

One suggestion, since they allow smoking on the balconies, I took a small travel fan (lucky I didn't have to use it) and would have turned it on toward the smokers to push the smoke back to them.

[ce2000]

Glad that you are going to give NCL at try. Yes, it is a bit different than HAL and Celebrity, but it is not painful, just a bit more laid back.

Enjoy.

[ripjerry95]

We have sailed on the Jewel 2x out of the 4 cruises we have taken. We love the jewel and ncl. We love the freestyle concept. Enjoy ur cruise.

[Karysa]

I suggest posting this this ? On the Ask a cruise ? Board. Most people on this one like NCL and you may come across a more varied group over there. If you are looking for reasons why cruisers don't like NCL that might be the place to gather the info that you are looking for.

[pris993]

We are booked on NCL Jade next spring. Have not been on NCL in 10 years. So this will be the first time we try freestyle.

 

The fact you get comments from others who cruise HAL, Crystal, Celebrity that say over all the NCL cruise is very similar says a lot.

 

We cruise Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Cunard and have been on Crystal and a few other lines over the years. Basically they are very similar. The only one that was really a bit different was Cunard in a good way if you like a more formal atmosphere which we do. NCL would be at the other extreme, more casual.

 

We are very optimistic for our Jade Mediterranean cruise.

 

We don't buy into all the "hype" in the cruise lines PR. After 45+ cruises going back to the early l980s we rely on our own experiences and that of other cruisers.

[Fishbait17]

I personally think NCL gets a bad rap that it doesn't deserve. As a former travel agent, I know that a lot of our agents would recommend to NOT cruise NCL, but this was based on a lower commission rate than other "preferred" cruise lines. I also think that NCL attracts a certain number of clients that look simply at price, may be new to cruising, and choose NCL because it's cheap and become grouchy and resentful when anything costs extra (which is not much more than other lines). Very often, you will see by their complaints that they are the "glass half empty" types, where one off experience absolutely RUINS their whole vacation, and often, their complaints are invalid (like the one who stated NCL charges $12 for delivering room service, when it was actually their DSC).

 

I like to think of NCL as an "a la carte" line a bit more than the others. You pay a low basic price, and can upgrade and customize it from there to meet your budget, wants, and needs. Perhaps the MDR food is not as good as Celebrity (its been a while since I sailed Celebrity, but the MDR food was excellent then, plus I haven't dined in NCL's MDR in a few years), but the bottom price is lower and you can choose to "upgrade" (for less than the added expense of another cruise line) to any of many specialty restaurants that I think far surpasses the MDR food on most lines. if you choose to upgrade to a suite, nothing beats the "suite life" on NCL. I haven't sailed any other lines in a long time, simply because I love the NCL experience, freestyle, and customizability. The clientele is lovely and diverse, the crews are fantastic, the service amazing, the atmosphere casual and relaxing, and the food divine. Sure, I have had the occasional "not so perfect" meal, or "not so great" service, but I'm not one to blame an entire cruise line on one bad experience - that's just not the way I want to live my life - unlike some. On my other cruises, I also had some "not so perfect" experiences, but they were also isolated, nothing to blame a whole cruise line for...

 

Robin

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[wroughtironron]

The ship reviews tell you volumes - some wear distinctly rose-coloured spectacles whilst others express their discomforts in more robust terms.

 

NCL are the budget end of the market and therefore if price is a major consideration you'll be in good company. Of course NCL try to make up their low prices with smaller cabins, multitudes of restaurants with surcharges, expensive (after sailing P & O, very expensive) drinks, drink surcharges (15%) ,stupidly priced internet, spas and emerald/art sales.

 

They try hard on the entertainment side and their libraries are nice enough but you will struggle to get a sunbed unless you're an early riser .

[unicorn63]

The complaints made by wroughtironron apply to all of the cruise lines I have ever been on. I have yet to cruise with NCL. I have been on RCL and Princess and they all charges 15% on drinks as the tip, have art auctions, silly high spa and internet pricing. I found the drink prices about the same as any bar in the US. Just shows why all reviews good or bad need to be taken with a grain of salt.

[newmexicoNita]

we have cruised all the mass marketed lines and we keep comming back to NCL. I do love HAL, but I like NCL every bit as much as Celebrity. No cruse line is perfect for everyone> Certainly there is a certain personality that does not fit with NCL. NCL is very relaxed, has a wonderful crew but they are not formal or in your face like some lines. I think it is more expectations than the total experience. Because the prices for standard cabins are a little lower on NCL some choose the line without researching what they can expect. The tipping policy is about the same on all lines so why some complain more about NCL I do not understand. The do not smuggle booze on is being controlled by all lines more now than in the past so why people pick in NCL about that I don't know.

 

The food, though, not gourmet is certainly acceptable and we like it much better than Princess, but not as much as HAL>

 

If there is one thing you might find not as nice on NCL is the overall beauty of the ships. I happen to think HAL have the nicest ships we have been on and Celebrity, depending on the ship also falls into the catagory of truely nice ships. NCL ships are a little more casual. You don't get the 9 story atrium, the fresh flowers, etc.

 

Nita

[jdvmd]

The ship reviews tell you volumes - some wear distinctly rose-coloured spectacles whilst others express their discomforts in more robust terms.

 

NCL are the budget end of the market and therefore if price is a major consideration you'll be in good company. Of course NCL try to make up their low prices with smaller cabins, multitudes of restaurants with surcharges, expensive (after sailing P & O, very expensive) drinks, drink surcharges (15%) ,stupidly priced internet, spas and emerald/art sales.

 

They try hard on the entertainment side and their libraries are nice enough but you will struggle to get a sunbed unless you're an early riser .

 

Every line has the things you mentioned like expensive internet, spas etc.

There could be 10 great reviews on a ship but somehow people only notice the one bad one and suddenly a ship and the cruise line gets the reputation that it is awful.

[tonyrocks922]

NCL's Freestyle Cruising Concept is much more than dining options. Dress up, or not, no clocks, no schedules, no worries. As such, NCL's Freestyle Concept enhances a stress free cruising experience. After all, isn't that what vacation should be all about?

 

I get more stressed out having to wait for a table than just showing up at x:00 every day.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

[Aquahound]

Thank you all so much for your replies. We are sold on NCL now. Will be booking the cruise soon. :)

 

I think you are making the right decision. When it comes to mass market cruise lines, there are many similarities, with a few things that make each unique. If you go with the right attitude and the excitement of trying something new, you will likely have a great time.

 

As you said, NCL does tend to get a bad rap. Some I can understand and some should be taken with a grain of salt. IMO, the Freestyle thing is a little over touted. Truth is, you're not "free to whatever" when you still have to plan your dinner times around the shows and other entertainment. In that reagrd, Freestyle dining isn't much different from the My Time or Anytime dining that is now offered on all the major lines, including HAL.

 

What NCL does do great is suite perks. Also, entertainment is great and there is always something scheduled to do. You'll find deck parties to be more attended and more upbeat than on HAL and Celebrity. But with all that comes a lot more public announcements.

 

Go and enjoy yourself. You'll see for yourself some things are good and some aren't, and only then will you know if NCL is considered again in the future for you.

[mizLORInj]

Why not give it a try to see for yourself.

I'm glad I did.