Norwegian gripes and comparison to other lines

[sguywilson]

Just back from Norwegian Gem - 9 night out of NYC - Not really thrilled. It was just okay.

This was my second cruise on NCL. Most of the cruises I have been on have been with Carnival. I cruised once on RCI on Explorer...just to give you an idea of what I am comparing it to.

1. Food in the main dining room or the buffet was not as good as Carnival or RCI. We mostly ate in the "Magenta" Restaurant (which is the casual version of the main restaurant). Found the food to be bland and not very creative or tasty. Soup selection was not the best. The onion soup tasted like a bouillon cube. The broccoli soup was also bland and with the cheese melted in it reminded you of snot or the slime from the TV show...you can't do that on television. The size of the lobster tail they served was a joke. It looked to be the size of the mini ones you find frozen at the supermarket. Also, it was served on the first night of the cruise so if you were tired after traveling and didn't feel like dealing with a restaurant on the first night and just wanted the buffet...you missed it. The buffet food was also bland. The only thing that was good was the desserts. By far the desserts on NCL are better than any other cruise line. The rumor is that NCL makes the food bland everywhere else but the specialty restaurants so you want to pay to go to the specialty restaurants...but I have to say...we paid the extra money to go to the Italian restaurant and the sauce was just blah...I think Ragu tastes better.

2. The casino had hardly any quarter machines. Most of them were penny machines and when you hit max bet it was like $4.00 a pull. On RCI and Carnival, they always had the quarter machines with the old basic slots with the wheels and at least a couple machines where the max bet was $0.75. Plus...on Carnival your room card and your casino card were one in the same and you could take money from your on board account and use in the slots. NCL you had a second card for your points and they only took cash. So if you didn't bring enough cash to play you were either out of luck or had to pay $5.50 to take money out of the ATM. I didn't even bother playing because it was so inconvenient and trust me...I normally play enough that I get the free drinks and also Carnival sends me the players club free money and room offers.

3. There didn't seem to be a lot going on during the day or at night on the Gem except bingo. On Carnival and RCI there always seemed to be something fun to do. NCL had the "white hot party" and the midnight chocolate buffet both on the same night other than that...it was kind of mellow. The only thing I really liked show wise was the "Second City" and "Graffiti" performances which were people they brought in from the outside to perform. The regular dancers, singers, and entertainers were just average...wasn't blown away

 

4. What's up with the room sizes. Seemed a lot smaller on NCL which is something we noticed on the first NCL we went on but didn't remember until we got our room this time.

 

They did give us all a bridge tour and held a nice reception for us as CC members...The staff were all pleasant and really made the trip enjoyable.

 

Trust me...I wish that I had a lot of positive things to say...Maybe their bigger ships are better? Plus on top of it all...our trip ended on a Friday morning...Thursday night I come down with a sinus infection and diarrhea. As I am waiting around for my color tag to be called to disembark, I notice there are a lot of other people around me coughing and sniffling. I don't know...like I said...I wish we had a better time. Think I'll stick with Carnival and RCI...Sorry NCL.

I wish I could say that I had a great time...

[sparks1093]

Just back from Norwegian Gem - 9 night out of NYC - Not really thrilled. It was just okay.

This was my second cruise on NCL. Most of the cruises I have been on have been with Carnival. I cruised once on RCI on Explorer...just to give you an idea of what I am comparing it to.

1. Food in the main dining room or the buffet was not as good as Carnival or RCI. We mostly ate in the "Magenta" Restaurant (which is the casual version of the main restaurant). Found the food to be bland and not very creative or tasty. Soup selection was not the best. The onion soup tasted like a bouillon cube. The broccoli soup was also bland and with the cheese melted in it reminded you of snot or the slime from the TV show...you can't do that on television. The size of the lobster tail they served was a joke. It looked to be the size of the mini ones you find frozen at the supermarket. Also, it was served on the first night of the cruise so if you were tired after traveling and didn't feel like dealing with a restaurant on the first night and just wanted the buffet...you missed it. The buffet food was also bland. The only thing that was good was the desserts. By far the desserts on NCL are better than any other cruise line. The rumor is that NCL makes the food bland everywhere else but the specialty restaurants so you want to pay to go to the specialty restaurants...but I have to say...we paid the extra money to go to the Italian restaurant and the sauce was just blah...I think Ragu tastes better.

2. The casino had hardly any quarter machines. Most of them were penny machines and when you hit max bet it was like $4.00 a pull. On RCI and Carnival, they always had the quarter machines with the old basic slots with the wheels and at least a couple machines where the max bet was $0.75. Plus...on Carnival your room card and your casino card were one in the same and you could take money from your on board account and use in the slots. NCL you had a second card for your points and they only took cash. So if you didn't bring enough cash to play you were either out of luck or had to pay $5.50 to take money out of the ATM. I didn't even bother playing because it was so inconvenient and trust me...I normally play enough that I get the free drinks and also Carnival sends me the players club free money and room offers.

3. There didn't seem to be a lot going on during the day or at night on the Gem except bingo. On Carnival and RCI there always seemed to be something fun to do. NCL had the "white hot party" and the midnight chocolate buffet both on the same night other than that...it was kind of mellow. The only thing I really liked show wise was the "Second City" and "Graffiti" performances which were people they brought in from the outside to perform. The regular dancers, singers, and entertainers were just average...wasn't blown away

 

4. What's up with the room sizes. Seemed a lot smaller on NCL which is something we noticed on the first NCL we went on but didn't remember until we got our room this time.

 

They did give us all a bridge tour and held a nice reception for us as CC members...The staff were all pleasant and really made the trip enjoyable.

 

Trust me...I wish that I had a lot of positive things to say...Maybe their bigger ships are better? Plus on top of it all...our trip ended on a Friday morning...Thursday night I come down with a sinus infection and diarrhea. As I am waiting around for my color tag to be called to disembark, I notice there are a lot of other people around me coughing and sniffling. I don't know...like I said...I wish we had a better time. Think I'll stick with Carnival and RCI...Sorry NCL.

I wish I could say that I had a great time...

 

NCL isn't for everyone and evidently it's not for you. We personally found the food to be similar on both CCL and NCL. I personally prefer the cash in the casino because it saves me money if I have to have it, but the casino for us is more of an afterthought. I've looked at the dailies and there always seemed to be something going on somewhere.

[DrNora]

OP

 

I like your school bus !

 

On Carnival- this using room key in casino- can you just go crazy and spend how ever much you want and it is charged to your account, or is there a pre- set limit of casino money that can be spent?

 

It is a very interesting concept ! I know that we are all responsible adults in theory- but I can see this getting out of control for some folks!

 

Just curious

 

And , yes, I know this is not the Carnival board....

Thanks!!

Nora

Edited April 5, 2014 by DrNora

[Medtech2]

Sorry you had a bad time. I bet that yucky cold is coloring part of your perception and coming from a 9 day cruise you can thank one of your fellow passengers for that. Everyone needs to remember to sneeze into their shirt collar or shirt sleeve and wash their hands after blwing their noses. It is so disgusting to see someone sneeze into their hand and then touch everything! Also, don't touch your own nose or eyes with unwashed hands, that is how you get the virus.

 

If you reversed your comments and named Carnival that would be my experience. Everyone definitely has different tastes, that's for sure! Sounds like you shouldn't try NCL again. Stick with Carnival. Have you tred Princess or Celebrity? Wonder how they would be?

 

I don't gamble but it does seem odd you can't tie your gambling to your ship card...

[sparks1093]

OP

 

I like your school bus !

 

On Carnival- this using room key in casino- can you just go crazy and spend how ever much you want and it is charged to your account, or is there a pre- set limit of casino money that can be spent?

 

It is a very interesting concept ! I know that we are all responsible adults in theory- but I can see this getting out of control for some folks!

 

Just curious

 

And , yes, I know this is not the Carnival board....

Thanks!!

Nora

 

I never saw anything indicating there was any type of limit.

[NLH Arizona]

Did you call CAS to see what offers they would give you, because after my first cruise I called them and got great offers. I've paid only port charges and taxes on a 7 day cruise in a penthouse suite and on my next 11 day cruise, I paid $350 plus port charges and taxes for a penthouse suite. I think NCL's CAS offers are fantastic.

[matj2000]

All cruise lines are different.

All ships within the cruise lines are different.

Each particular voyage is going to be different week to week.

I stopped comparing cruise lines a while back and focus on the things I like about each one...

[misand]

It is so funny everyones opinion on cruise lines. We have never had a bad cruise, just some things we like better than others. Our two favs are NCl and Carnival, least favorites MSC for the food, Disney for the kids club. I would go back on any of them for the right price. Lunch on Carnival is the best imo. We are going on the Getaway in May and cant wait!

[B6ConMe]

“You can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”

 

― Abraham Lincoln

 

Truer words have yet to be spoken.

[BrPanthers99]

Cruise Critic members can get a free bridge/tour of ship?

[valleyvillage]

All cruise lines are different.

All ships within the cruise lines are different.

Each particular voyage is going to be different week to week.

I stopped comparing cruise lines a while back and focus on the things I like about each one...

 

Very Wise!

 

Debate between the horse, goose, and sheep by John Lydgate. He wrote, "Odyous of olde been comparisonis, And of comparisonis engendyrd is haterede."

[swedish weave]

Cruise Critic members can get a free bridge/tour of ship?

 

Some Captains offer the tour as a courtesy to CC members who attend the Meet and Greet.

 

It is not something that is done all the time nor by all Captains.

[swedish weave]

All the complaints by OP has rattled my curiosity.

 

In all the Meet and Greet sessions I have attended on NCL, the officers practically beg us to let them know of ANYTHING they can do to make our cruise the best.

 

Did OP let them know of the complaints, or did OP wait to get home to post on CC about his gripes??

 

They have always been very anxious to correct problems that are brought to their attention.

[mking8288]

We've cruised NCL, RCI and CCL - and sail with reasonable expectations. A week or more of no grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, housekeeping, and relaxation - at a fair & reasonable price for two of us ... Increasingly, everyone else in the extended families wanted to tag along & come with us - I swear, I'm going to start charging a fee for them to organize the ShoreEx & other logistics.

 

We loved the GEM and plan to be back on her, even before dry docking. Being more health conscious these days, I don't have problems with bland food - we look with less oil, sodium & sugar, etc. for a better lifestyle & longer living. Salt & pepper shackers are on the dining table and one of our BIL always bring his own ultra-hot red pepper/chilli paste to spice up the meals.

 

Not to debate about lobster tails here, we get our fresh ones up in Newport, ME for the best and for beef steak - we got Peter Luger in Queens & Williamsburgh, Brooklyn ($$$$) and Asian fusion, fleet-wide, doesn't do Hot & Sour Soup right either & failed/ship chefs gave up on it, local Chinese takeouts are 100% better (trust me & I believed 95% of you know that) But, even Mrs. M nowadays are into Salmon on the ships & they are quite good. Try cooking 5,000 hot meals daily - it's not easy. Reminds me of flying TPAC and someone in F/B class complaining to the FA that their white clothed meal wasn't hot (reheated properly, really)

 

When there's a perceived problem, it's always best to speak up there & then, and give the parties the chance to get it right and resolving it.

 

NCL provides accurate description of their room sizes in different category and for future reference, the newest/bigger ones in the fleet are even "smaller" in the lower tiered category (insides & oceanviews in particular) but standard balcony are fine (we actually liked the Breakaway's balcony, except for the outside/open air space - yes, only room for 2 chairs) CCL and RCI's cabins are bigger in comparison - there are no deceptions involved, AFAIK.

 

We make the best out of each & every cruise, and be happy - looking forward to the next one, that's not soon enough after being home for less than a week & working our tails off again.

[4774Papa]

It is so funny everyones opinion on cruise lines. We have never had a bad cruise, just some things we like better than others. Our two favs are NCl and Carnival, least favorites MSC for the food, Disney for the kids club. I would go back on any of them for the right price. Lunch on Carnival is the best imo. We are going on the Getaway in May and cant wait!

Ditto that sentiment. We have done seven cruises on Celebrity and three on NCL, as well as three river cruises.

 

NEVER had a bad cruise. Was the food always excellent? Of course not. Is the food generally good to excellent? Yes, depending on what you order, what ship and what cruise line.

 

NCL's specialty restaurants are super. We love them all, especially the French, Brazilian Steakhouse and Japanese.

 

Celebrity has better MDR food, but we had nearly as good on Epic.

 

Food is subjective. My Mom was from South Texas and I have been eating Mexican food since I was out of diapers. The best Tex-Mex is still the best in Texas. We have pretty descent Mexican food restaurants here in Georgia as we had in Southern Maryland and Northern VA, when we lived there, but most of them don't spice up the food like they do in Texas. I think restauranteurs are concerned that most people just can't handle the real stuff.

This could be part of the issue on a cruise ship. When you feed three or four thousand people there has to be something of an assembly line process. All the food is frozen. We understand that cruise lines don't procure food in the ports they visit.

 

I have found that cruise line food is generally better when you order Beef, Lamb or Pork and to some degree, Chicken. Fish can be overcooked. However, salmon generally is not. I still order fish from time to time, but find it can be overcooked. The lobster is usually big enough. Of course it is not Maine Lobster.

 

For ten cruises, I have only sent back a main dish twice. Once because I ordered something turned out to be something I didn't expect. Another because the fish was overcooked.

[SteveH2508]

2. The casino had hardly any quarter machines. Most of them were penny machines and when you hit max bet it was like $4.00 a pull. On RCI and Carnival, they always had the quarter machines with the old basic slots with the wheels and at least a couple machines where the max bet was $0.75. Plus...on Carnival your room card and your casino card were one in the same and you could take money from your on board account and use in the slots. NCL you had a second card for your points and they only took cash. So if you didn't bring enough cash to play you were either out of luck or had to pay $5.50 to take money out of the ATM. I didn't even bother playing because it was so inconvenient and trust me...I normally play enough that I get the free drinks and also Carnival sends me the players club free money and room offers.

 

You can draw cash from the casino cage charged to your room account (upto $2000 per day - 3% charge) for the slots (for table games you get chips I believe).

[Bluemoon319]

Did you call CAS to see what offers they would give you, because after my first cruise I called them and got great offers. I've paid only port charges and taxes on a 7 day cruise in a penthouse suite and on my next 11 day cruise, I paid $350 plus port charges and taxes for a penthouse suite. I think NCL's CAS offers are fantastic.

 

What is CAS?

[mitsugirly]

All the complaints by OP has rattled my curiosity.

 

In all the Meet and Greet sessions I have attended on NCL, the officers practically beg us to let them know of ANYTHING they can do to make our cruise the best.

 

Did OP let them know of the complaints, or did OP wait to get home to post on CC about his gripes??

 

They have always been very anxious to correct problems that are brought to their attention.

 

 

The thing is, the OP's complaints really aren't something that they would be able to "correct" at that time. The food being bland or not enough things that interest them during the day are all things that the officers will listen to complaints of, but they will tell you...in order to get something "corrected", it takes a lot of complaints for the "big boys" to do anything about. However, I do agree with voicing your opinion (you never know how many others have also voiced that same opinion) and when I mentioned how sad I was that they had removed the "Indian" dinner night, they told me they'd pass that info along...and eve though it can't be "corrected", I got a call later in the week and they prepared a special Indian dinner for my family (it was offered at any time I wanted, at any dinning room, on any night). It was wonderful. We felt so special that night. :)

[Demonyte]

What is CAS?

 

Casinos At Sea, NCL's casino department.

[halos]

One comment that I never understand when I see it is when people say there is more to do on CCL at night.

The reason I left CCL is because I felt they had FAR less to do at any time day or night.

[swedish weave]

The thing is, the OP's complaints really aren't something that they would be able to "correct" at that time. The food being bland or not enough things that interest them during the day are all things that the officers will listen to complaints of, but they will tell you...in order to get something "corrected", it takes a lot of complaints for the "big boys" to do anything about. However, I do agree with voicing your opinion (you never know how many others have also voiced that same opinion) and when I mentioned how sad I was that they had removed the "Indian" dinner night, they told me they'd pass that info along...and eve though it can't be "corrected", I got a call later in the week and they prepared a special Indian dinner for my family (it was offered at any time I wanted, at any dinning room, on any night). It was wonderful. We felt so special that night. :)

 

OK -- Since you wish to defend the OP, I will elaborate.

 

Lobster tails -- "Too small" --- How did OP know since he stated he was too tired and missed it because it was served the first night ----- Not true, but if so, he could have asked for more and he would have gotten it. Which scenario do you choose to believe?

 

Bland food --- They will give you any kind of spice they have on hand to spice the food to your taste --BUT YOU HAVE TO ASK OR LET THEM KNOW !!!!

 

Not enough to do during the day ----- Basketball court - golf cage -- checkerboard -- shuffleboard -- Swimming pool --library -- numerous board games available -- Do I need to list more ?????

 

I rate this as a rant by a Carnival loyal who doesn't like NCL !!!!

Edited April 5, 2014 by swedish weave

[NLH Arizona]

What is CAS?

Casino At Sea. If you play in the casino, call them regarding your next cruise and they will give you an offer based on how much you played.

[Fydlstyx]

All the complaints by OP has rattled my curiosity.

 

In all the Meet and Greet sessions I have attended on NCL, the officers practically beg us to let them know of ANYTHING they can do to make our cruise the best.

 

Did OP let them know of the complaints, or did OP wait to get home to post on CC about his gripes??

 

They have always been very anxious to correct problems that are brought to their attention.

 

I would venture to say no, that the OP likely did not share their concerns or disappointments with officers or staff. Had the OP done that, I bet someone would have mentioned that you can use your cabin key card to get cash in the casino. You do not have to pay the ATM fee. You just take your cabin card to the window where you would cash in your winnings and sign some paperwork and they give you cash, which is charged against your shipboard account at absolutely no cost to you. I believe there is a limit for the transactions but am not sure what it is because I was happy just taking out $100.

 

I think it would be interesting to see a copy of the Freestyle Daily papers from the cruise, as well, because I can't imagine it just being blank and not having any evening activities!

[bbryan5]

FWIW We have been on 3 NCL cruises and I find the food in the MDR to be very good. I also find the casino to be a good time. As others stated, NCL isn't for everyone.

[cpj]

I have cruised all the big lines except HAL. I found out if you want a real good meal you have to go to the specialty restaurants. MDR food is average at best an that includes Celebrity too. They may have about 10 years ago but not no more. NCL has the best deal with the ultimate dining package and we'll worth the money. Just off the Getaway and the food in the specialty restaurants was excellent. Let face it folks cruising is changing and if you want quality you have to pay for it. Those of you who don't care about food and quality still have plenty of choices on all the lines. Believe me you won't starve and and you pretend its great since you don't pay extra for it. Bottom line is a lot of you still want quality but don't want to pay extra. It is all about the money.