Jumping ships

[gettingready]

We went on the Spirit less than a month ago and had a wonderful time! We had sailed on 5 other lines including HAL and found this ship to be the cleanest and the staff the friendliest!

 

I LOVE the Freestyle and I prefer skipping all the silly little shows that go on in the dinning room so that was a BIG bonus to us. I enjoyed the different places to eat and choosing when we wanted to dine. On the Spirit you CAN make reservation at ANY of the restaurants (except buffet) so you can avoid ANY lines. The food was right up there with ALL of the other ships and the Sushi was freshly made right in front of you.

 

I would sail the Spirit again in a heartbeat!

 

Alex

[Host CMLA]

This is the comment I was speaking about. I read this and thought, "My God did I sound that snobbish and superior".:eek: I'm a middle class guy working a blue collar job who saves up like everyone else does for a cruise vacation. Maybe I expect a little more when I go on a cruise. If I wanted mediocre food and service I would go to a Holiday Inn at the beach. I just want what is advertised. A little R&R where people wait on you and treat you with respect. No I don't need the champagne or towels, but it was a nice surprise.

 

I just thought that the above comments where uncalled for. Again, all I asked for was the differneces in the lines.

Thank you for responding and telling us what you thought was mean or attacking. Unfortunately, the biggest downfall of a message board is losing voice inflection. I read member hotspur's comment to you and thought he was honest. I didn't think he was being snippy or mean. But again, it's all in how we read things. I would also echo his comments. I don't think NCL pampers like you may want. I've been treated pretty well on all of my more than a dozen NCL cruises but the service was rarely as personal as I think you're looking for. I've cruised RCI many times and never had that kind of personal service either. Maybe I don't book high enough level rooms? Anyway...NCL might not be a good line for you. It's all in what you want from your cruise.

[Girlsnightout]

I'll answer the question honestly. I've cruised RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, Disney and Carnival. The worst service, bar none, by far, was on my NCL cruise last year.

 

Of course this might have been a fluke, but the fact that after my cruise when I wrote to 3 separate NCL executives to detail my experience I never received so much as a phone call, email, or a return letter.

 

The customer service pre cruise was inept, onboard was unprofessional and abysmal, and post cruise non-existent. I wouldn't cruise them again, I'm not willing to waste my time and money on what may or may not be another fluke.

 

If you're a gambling man, go for it, but don't say you haven't been warned.

[smeyer418]

I'll answer the question honestly. I've cruised RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, Disney and Carnival. The worst service, bar none, by far, was on my NCL cruise last year.

 

Of course this might have been a fluke, but the fact that after my cruise when I wrote to 3 separate NCL executives to detail my experience I never received so much as a phone call, email, or a return letter.

 

The customer service pre cruise was inept, onboard was unprofessional and abysmal, and post cruise non-existent. I wouldn't cruise them again, I'm not willing to waste my time and money on what may or may not be another fluke.

 

If you're a gambling man, go for it, but don't say you haven't been warned.

Which ship? and what happened?

[Host CMLA]

Which ship? and what happened?

You remember Nina's pre Pride of Aloha cruise don't you? If you do a search, you'll probably be able to bring it up although it's been about 15 months ago.

[smeyer418]

yes but I shouldn't have to play detective....I can always go to her name and look up her posts but I shouldn't have to do that either.

 

Sid

 

PS as someone pointed out the PO Aloha is an NCL America ship...

[Zeno]

Actually Nina was on the Sky before it became POA. Oddly enough I was on the Sky about 2 months before her and had a great time - excellent service.

For mskopins:

Thanks for being clear about what is important to you. I have not been on the Spirit but I have been on 2 other NCL cruises (on the Sky and the Sun). Before that I had been on 3 "traditional" cruises. Personally I prefer "freestyle". I LOVE eating when and where I want and with who I want. BUT certainly in the dining room, you will notice that service may be different from what you are used to. I am the sort of person who likes efficient but not overly familiar service - so it suits me fine. There may be less pampering than you are used to. However I have had my tray carried in the buffet area a number of times (maybe I look helpless?) and our last cabin steward could not do enough for me (he was the best steward we have ever had). Our waiters varied from just OK to really excellent. I suppose if you find a waiter you really like, you could ask for him every night (I know some people do). You have received a lot of good info here to make your decision. If it's to go with NCL, go with an open mind, expecting a different experience. You make like it; you may not but at least you will be prepared. If you decide not to go - that's OK - different things are important to different people.

[shoreguy]

yes but I shouldn't have to play detective....I can always go to her name and look up her posts but I shouldn't have to do that either.

...

It would not work - to many handles ago :)

 

 

The wayback machine

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=1336848#post1336848

[Zeno]

Mskopins,

 

Follow your instincts and cancel your NCL cruise. In my opinion, it's not worth it, no matter what you've paid. You are right to question and you are being "flamed" because some loyal NCL posters are extremely defensive and aggressive... AND... their statements are not accurate. Some of the information, on this thread, proved to be WRONG and caused my partner and I much distress.

 

In my experience with NCL, there is no corporate or shipboard accountability. We had a horrible experience on the Dream to Alaska this summer. We received an emailed apology from NCL's CEO immediately and an offer of 50% off a future cruise a few days later, but when we asked for ANYTHING in writing from them... an explanation for our mistreatment or the 50% off offer, there was no response... nothing... total silence.

 

We have logged formal complaints with various agencies and are still waiting for a written response.

 

If I were you, I would trust my gut and plan a new cruise with a quality company.

 

Now this is just plain odd and confusing: to quote DrVal from an earlier posting:

"Ms. Cain-Moore offered us a 50% credit toward a future NCL cruise to settle our claim. We did not ask for a credit and we did not accept it. We requested a partial refund of our cruise fare, plus Sitka port charges minus any taxes or fees actually paid on our behalf. In the alternative, we requested passage for 2 in 2006 to Alaska only if it came with assurances that we would not be subjected to the hardships we endured on the Dream. "

In that post you said you TURNED DOWN the 50% credit since you wanted either a refund of your cruise fare or a free cruise. If you turned down what they offered you I would think that they assumed that they could not satisfy your requirements for compensation and so considered that matter ended. But perhaps I am unaware of some further communication where they re-iteratated their offer and you accepted ?

[johnql]

Zeno, I'm afraid you and I are waiting for Godot. I'm still looking for an explanation from DrVal that will substantiate her vague accusations in her last post, in which she stated, "their [some loyal NCL posters] statements are not accurate. Some of the information, on this thread, proved to be WRONG and caused my partner and I much distress."

 

Which statements are not accurate? What information, on this thread, proved to be wrong? And how did that information cause her "much distress"? All questions that I would love to see answered. However, I'm not holding my breath.

[shoreguy]

Now this is just plain odd and confusing: to quote DrVal from an earlier posting:

"Ms. Cain-Moore offered us a 50% credit toward a future NCL cruise to settle our claim. We did not ask for a credit and we did not accept it. We requested a partial refund of our cruise fare, plus Sitka port charges minus any taxes or fees actually paid on our behalf. In the alternative, we requested passage for 2 in 2006 to Alaska only if it came with assurances that we would not be subjected to the hardships we endured on the Dream. "

In that post you said you TURNED DOWN the 50% credit since you wanted either a refund of your cruise fare or a free cruise. If you turned down what they offered you I would think that they assumed that they could not satisfy your requirements for compensation and so considered that matter ended. But perhaps I am unaware of some further communication where they re-iteratated their offer and you accepted ?

 

Makes sense or perhaps they discovered everything they offered was being rejected and aware DrVal was trumpeting this around the internet. Sometimes it pays to keep your mouth shut untill the deal is done.

[newmexicoNita]

I'll answer the question honestly. I've cruised RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, Disney and Carnival. The worst service, bar none, by far, was on my NCL cruise last year.

 

Of course this might have been a fluke, but the fact that after my cruise when I wrote to 3 separate NCL executives to detail my experience I never received so much as a phone call, email, or a return letter.

 

The customer service pre cruise was inept, onboard was unprofessional and abysmal, and post cruise non-existent. I wouldn't cruise them again, I'm not willing to waste my time and money on what may or may not be another fluke.

 

If you're a gambling man, go for it, but don't say you haven't been warned.

Again, this is back to opinion only: you say Honestly it is the worst, honesty it is the worst is your opinon only. I have cruised 16 times, and the worst I had was on Costa, this does not mean all Costa ships have cruddy service: ours did. You do not mention which ship you were on or what your problems were. It has been my experience and this is MY OPINION only, that letters that deal with the good as well as the bad are more apt to get responses. As for not receiving a letter, if every cruiseline answered ever negative letter or positive for that matter they got they would need a staff of 100 just for that reason. As for me, the best service I have had is a toss up between NCL and Celebrity, but I prefer NCL for reasons I have listed before. There is only one mass marketed line I have not cruised: reason, as a TA I have had horrible customer service problems. This does not mean I do not book this line if the price and itinerary is what my cliants want or if they want that line only. As for my loyalty to NCL, I just booked 3 cabins for Thanksgiving week the other day and to be honest, from what I know about the cliants I am a bit nervous, but I told them the good and the bad; they made a decision. I know that no line is perfect for everyone nor is there any line that is wrong for everyone. Your experiences may not be the same as others. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

Now this is just plain odd and confusing: to quote DrVal from an earlier posting:

"Ms. Cain-Moore offered us a 50% credit toward a future NCL cruise to settle our claim. We did not ask for a credit and we did not accept it. We requested a partial refund of our cruise fare, plus Sitka port charges minus any taxes or fees actually paid on our behalf. In the alternative, we requested passage for 2 in 2006 to Alaska only if it came with assurances that we would not be subjected to the hardships we endured on the Dream. "

In that post you said you TURNED DOWN the 50% credit since you wanted either a refund of your cruise fare or a free cruise. If you turned down what they offered you I would think that they assumed that they could not satisfy your requirements for compensation and so considered that matter ended. But perhaps I am unaware of some further communication where they re-iteratated their offer and you accepted ?

Good points made here. NMnita

[sunshine 229]

Zeno, I'm afraid you and I are waiting for Godot. I'm still looking for an explanation from DrVal that will substantiate her vague accusations in her last post, in which she stated, "their [some loyal NCL posters] statements are not accurate. Some of the information, on this thread, proved to be WRONG and caused my partner and I much distress."

 

Which statements are not accurate? What information, on this thread, proved to be wrong? And how did that information cause her "much distress"? All questions that I would love to see answered. However, I'm not holding my breath.

 

Oh no, please not that play! I was forced to study it in high school, in French, and believe me when I tell you that the whole 'Dream cruise was a nightmare' thread was much more lively and entertaining ( in all of its versions) than that silly (IMO) Beckett play.

 

 

Originally posted by smeyer 418

yes but I shouldn't have to play detective....I can always go to her name and look up her posts but I shouldn't have to do that either.

 

Sid

 

PS as someone pointed out the PO Aloha is an NCL America ship...

 

Yes, as someone has pointed out it is an NCLA ship not an NCL ship, but as I think became apparent many months ago, NCLA is a very closely held subsidiary of NCL. Just look at how often Colin Veitch has been heard making explanations about things that should rightly be considered the province of NCLA. Also look back to the thread where NCL actually became involved on this board in regard to the launch of the POA. THose correspondances were from the NCL office not from the NCLA office.

 

In any case NCLA is a subsidiary of NCL. Yes it may be a different experience than the usual NCL experience because of the American crew but problems and complaints still go through the NCL customer service department and if I understand right, when girlsnightout took her cruise on the Sky it was NCL with whom she had her problems and to whom she addressed the apparently unanswered letters.

 

The OP is asking about the Spirit and this is a totally different ship than the Sky and may well be a totally different cruise experience but if the OP has any issues that need clarification or correction it is the same company that they will need to deal with so other peoples' opinions of and experiences with NCL seem to be relevant.

[sunshine 229]

What a bunch of crybabies. I hope none of you are on the NCL POA Aug 27. I will have to give you a lashing.

 

A lashing? Are you sure you don't mean a spanking?

So can you tell us which are the best ships for doing what your user name suggests? Is NCL a better line than Celebrity or RCI when it comes to 'cruisin for babes'? I bet that that is information that would be of interest to at least some CC members!

[johnql]

What a bunch of crybabies.

I'm almost afraid to ask, but who are you referring to?

[Mmeindia]

I'm interested in this thread as a bystander, only because what I've read on the boards here (both negative and positive) does not equate with what people I know in person who have cruised on NCL have told me.

 

I'm about to take my first cruise in a few weeks so I'll form my own opinion, and I know that even what constitutes good service can vary from person to person. For example, I have eaten in 5 star restaurants that have "top notch" service where I found the excessive attention paid to us to be intrusive. I prefer prompt, efficient, friendly but anonymous service, which may be inadequate to someone else.

 

We chose NCL in part for the Freestyle theme, feeling a more casual atmosphere would be better for us. I was not so concerned about the level of service; I will be so thrilled just to be somewhere where I don't have to cook, there's no phone to interrupt dinner, and we have a limited number of options as to where to eat each night (DH and I frequently spend at least an hour debating choices on vacation, so I want a little choice but not too much.)

 

But I have since spoken to a couple of people who cruise frequently that told me NCL had the absolute top notch service ever. One of them has sailed on NCL, Celebrity and RCI, and the other has sailed on 8 cruises on various lines (didn't get them specifically). They both told me I would be blown away by the service on NCL, which surprised me. My parents have sailed on Celebrity before and thought the service was outstanding, but one of the people recommending NCL's service to me was on the same Celebrity cruises with my parents, and said as good as they were, NCL was better. I am going into this cruise with an open mind and will report it as I see it when I get back, and will try to be specific so I don't just say the service was good or bad, but why I thought it was so. I'm just puzzled as to how you can have such wildly varying opinions of something like this. (I guess I better think back to all the times I heard movie recommendations and how differently I felt about them...)

[johnql]

I'm just puzzled as to how you can have such wildly varying opinions of something like this. (I guess I better think back to all the times I heard movie recommendations and how differently I felt about them...)

Exactly! It's what makes the world go 'round. To continue the analogy, last year, several of my friends raved about Napoleon Dynamite. I saw it and couldn't stand it. Go figure.

[sunshine 229]

Mmeindia

 

I can't wait to read your review. I too find it hard to imagine how people can have such different experiences on the same ship, some even on the same week:confused:

 

On which NCL ship will you be cruising?

[KeystoneCruiser]

To put some of this in perspective:

 

I was on the Aloha last year. It WAS my worst cruise ever. There were lots of problems which have been well documented and aknowledged by NCL. We even got our $10 a day charge refunded and a future cruise credit. (which we used this year....).

 

NOW.........

 

That was my worst cruise ever BUT it was still a good time. Yes, the service was below what I had experienced before, yes, the food quality was lower than I had expected before, BUT I STILL HAD A GREAT TIME IN HAWAII and enjoyed the cruise overall! It may have been my worst cruise, but I still had a better time than staying at home! As far as service, food and entertainment are concerned, I compare everything to my BEST cruise ever. (Star to Hawaii, 2002).

 

There used to be a quote in someones signature on here (but I can't recall CC member) that said: "a bad day at cruising is still better than a good day at the office." (or something like that)

[WaldosPepper]

Just wanted to thank the Moderators for the "poof"! ;)

[NGW]

Just to stir things up a bit:

 

In Feb 03 we tried our first NCL cruise aboard the Dawn. It was doing the Caribbean then and not the New York route as it is now. At that time I thought that this was the future of cruising. All restaurants were good, service very good and more importantly, freedom of choice for all concerned. It was a win win situation....the passengers won and the cruiseline won by having more income streams.

 

Shortly before that in Nov 02 we did Dawn Princess, again to the Caribbean and with their version of "freestyle". Out of the two, we much preferred Norwegian.

 

After that we stayed loyal to NCL and did the Star in May 04 to Alaska. A wonderful cruise but we did detect the food wasn't quite as good as on NCL Dawn. Was this the start of the slipperly slope?

 

To test that theory, we did NCL Spirit in Nov 04 and this was definitely the worst of all the cruise to date until we did Pride of America in July 05. NCL have slipped along way down the order in my opinion. After the Dawn experience I would have placed them just behind Celebrity but now, I'd have to say that they would struggle to compete with RCCL who I rate slightly higher than Carnival.

 

At the end of the day it is subjective. Unless you've done each line two or three times, it's always going to be difficult to form a true opinion. I'm working on that but for me, if I had a choice, it would be Celebrity every time. That is until I try Crystal and Radission ;) What a wonderful world and so much more to look forward to. :)

[Mmeindia]

Mmeindia

 

I can't wait to read your review. I too find it hard to imagine how people can have such different experiences on the same ship, some even on the same week:confused:

 

On which NCL ship will you be cruising?

 

We will be on the Crown, one of the smaller, older ships in the fleet. We had to sail out of New York City and I didn't care for the Dawn's itinerary. Since this is our first cruise ever, I chose based on itinerary, since I don't know if I like cruising but I know I like foreign travel. Assuming we enjoy it I think it would be fun to try a larger ship (either the Dawn or the new Crown Princess) next year.

 

There are tons of reviews trashing the Crown, and a bunch that say it's one of the reviewers' favorite ships ever. I had to read between the lines to figure out that the people who hate the Crown want more specialty restaurants, better shows, more organized excitement, etc. I prefer quietly entertaining myself, want a real at-sea atmosphere rather than a resort hotel atmosphere, don't want to pay extra for specialty restaurants, and truly hate crowds. There is one other reviewer (Surfgirl) who reviewed both the Dawn and the Crown who appears to have similar likes and dislikes, so I think I will do better on this smaller, older ship. (I am somewhat claustrophobic, for example, and the idea of getting off the ship by tender to land on a private beach with 3,000 other passengers literally horrifies me, which is why we didn't even consider RCI). That's why I hope to be as specific as possible with my review, so whether I liked the ship or not, other people will be able to discern whether they'll like it based on my reaction.

[newmexicoNita]

Just to stir things up a bit:

 

In Feb 03 we tried our first NCL cruise aboard the Dawn. It was doing the Caribbean then and not the New York route as it is now. At that time I thought that this was the future of cruising. All restaurants were good, service very good and more importantly, freedom of choice for all concerned. It was a win win situation....the passengers won and the cruiseline won by having more income streams.

 

Shortly before that in Nov 02 we did Dawn Princess, again to the Caribbean and with their version of "freestyle". Out of the two, we much preferred Norwegian.

 

After that we stayed loyal to NCL and did the Star in May 04 to Alaska. A wonderful cruise but we did detect the food wasn't quite as good as on NCL Dawn. Was this the start of the slipperly slope?

 

To test that theory, we did NCL Spirit in Nov 04 and this was definitely the worst of all the cruise to date until we did Pride of America in July 05. NCL have slipped along way down the order in my opinion. After the Dawn experience I would have placed them just behind Celebrity but now, I'd have to say that they would struggle to compete with RCCL who I rate slightly higher than Carnival.

 

At the end of the day it is subjective. Unless you've done each line two or three times, it's always going to be difficult to form a true opinion. I'm working on that but for me, if I had a choice, it would be Celebrity every time. That is until I try Crystal and Radission ;) What a wonderful world and so much more to look forward to. :)

I am sorry to hear that in your opinion NCL has gone down hill especially in the food catagory. We did like Celebrity's dinners and dining room lunches better then NCL's but thought the buffets on NCL were better, not that any buffet is gourmet. I am anxious to try the Jewel and compare. NMnita

[mbisson]

I'm sorry that posting a simple question can get a member flamed.:eek:

 

After reading this comment I just went back and reread this entire thread. IMO you haven't been flamed at all. You asked for opinion and you got some, but I haven't noted attacks.

 

sorry

-Monte