Bring Me Up To Speed With Norwegian

[isosika]

My wife and I are not new to cruising nor to Norwegian - sort of.  Years ago when we were trying different cruise lines we sailed on Norwegian and really liked it.  But we have not sailed on NCL since 1996.  Princess became our favorite cruise line and we are in the top tier of Princess' rewards category.  However, we booked B2B cruises on Princess and recently received notice that one itinerary has changed completely.  So much so that we canceled both cruises.

 

We talked it over and my wife was missing Hawaii and I thought of the Pride of America and NCL.  We are now booked for a 7-day but will likely spend a couple of extra weeks on land as well.

 

I returned to the NCL part of this forum and felt like I had never cruised on this line.  In reading some posts I have found things that I am not familiar with; LATREW, DSC, the HAVEN, freestyle dining only (ok with this one), no formal nights (?), ???

 

Can you bring up to speed on the new NCL?  What is it that I need to know about this line?  Do they have an app (Princess has the Medallion and an app), do they still use cruise cards,?  As I remember, NCL had the best entertainment of any line we experimented with, is this still true today? Etc, etc, etc.

 

Thank you.

 

Denny

[ColeThornton]

Start your research here:

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq

 

 

NCL apps and downloads:

 

https://www.ncl.com/downloads/overview

 

 

 

[ggTexasGal]

26 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

Start your research here:

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq

 

 

NCL apps and downloads:

 

https://www.ncl.com/downloads/overview

I agree with the above links being the first places for information.  Because the Pride of America is an American based ship, cruising only Hawaiian islands, the offers for these cruises are somewhat different than all other NCL ships and itineraries, and certainly, plenty of things are different from Princess.

 

I'm adding a link for Terms and Conditions (currently)... https://www.ncl.com/termsandconditions/promotions

 

LATREW = Latitude Reward, which won't apply to you, since the program has changed while you were cruising other lines ...you have no status currently.

DSC = Daily Service Charge

Haven = exclusive areas at the top of the ship for Haven Suites.

Pay close attention to anything list separately for Hawaii!

NCL has "Dress-up or Not Nights"!  Some people really dress-up, but many do not.

Edited September 26, 2020 by ggTexasGal
added info

[Cruise4Twos]

I wrote this for another discussion. Some of it applies to your question so I’m reposting it.

 

Unfortunately things have changed on all of the cruise lines in years. Back in the day for me the food at the main dining dinner was about the same. Now many have cut premium meals from the main dining room. NCL no longer serves butter escargot, top cut steaks or seafood at the main dining dinner. You’ll probably get some specialty dinners with your package. The specialty dinners are better that what used to be served in the main dining area. Personally I would rather have it the way it used to be but I don’t get to control that.

 

Drinks are the same across all the lines as far as I can tell.  Tours are the same across all lines, often run by the same local companies in the ports. The activities such as dance classes, bingo, trivia, champagne art, pool parties (except Carnival IMO) along with lounge areas, beach lounge chairs, towel policy are basically the same. NCL does have a credit program for activity participation where you can get a prize (playing cards, Tshirt, etc) at the cruise. I know small, but something. Typically free exercise classes in the morning 7 & 7:30am. I think the gyms are nice but it depends on the ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships have a solarium pool separate from the party pool(s), NCL typically does not. The theatre shows depend on the ship. And yes NCL and everyone else still use cruise cards how else could they get people into that credit card mentality. I'm pretty sure that NCL has an app but I have a dumbphone so I am not well versed in apps.

 

The kids are about the same for most cruise lines except Carnival IMO. They have kids programs and recently a teen hangout area (this varies on ships).  The volume of children typically depends more on the length of the cruise not the cruise line. Cruises 2 weeks or longer have far less children. Typically there’s always a few since some kids are not school age, home-schooled kids and foreign travelers with different school schedules. The small amount of kids on longer cruises have not been a problem for me

 

I actually like Royal Caribbean better than NCL. Although I’ve been traveling Norwegian since 2016. They are offering more exotic/better itineraries than Royal Caribbean at reasonable prices (not those of the premium cruise lines).  They have a great future cruise program. I am not a picky person and the itinerary means more to me than the cruise line. Although I did not like Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas which had 2 cafeteria style buffet lines rather the food stations that most ships now have.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2020 by Cruise4Twos
added cruise card, apps

[Budget Queen]

The POA  is very unique for the itinerary.   In my opinion,  the focus is Hawaii.   The ship is more just lodging and some meals.       It's an excellent itinerary and adding time,  I always do.   Add to the mix, Southwest offers interisland flights that are cheap and frequent.    I rarely spend much time on Oahu,  instead I usually add another week in Maui and 1 more on Hawaii.   🙂     

 

It's a superb trip.  🙂   But,  I simply just  book Sail away rates myself.   Works perfectly for my priories of "Hawaii".     

[dexddd]

POA is a bit different.  We sailed it 2006 and said never again but things improved and went in 2016 and it was great.

 

No Haven on POA.  Very port intensive.  Food and options similar to other NCL ships.  This is a very good way to see islands.

[farmersfight]

2 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

Because the Pride of America is an American based ship, cruising only Hawaiian islands, the offers for these cruises are somewhat different than all other NCL ships and itineraries

 

Not only an American based ship but also a U.S. flag ship with predominantly U.S. citizens as crew. Pricing cruises, I noted that the PoA cruises were pricey. Maybe because NCL has to pay those U.S. mariners more?

 

If you like sea days, the PoA cruise is not for you. In port every day (sails to/from them in the evening/at night), except she does do a little scenic cruising off the Napali coast.

[farmersfight]

3 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

Southwest offers interisland flights that are cheap and frequent.    I rarely spend much time on Oahu,  instead I usually add another week in Maui and 1 more on Hawaii.   🙂     

 

I didn't know Southwest offered cheap and frequent inter-island flights. I just thought they flew to/from the mainland from/to Hawaii. Good to know, thanks Budget Queen.

 

After such a long flight from the mainland just to get to Hawaii, it makes sense to add some time before and/or after the PoA cruise. 2 weeks sounds great. I would do at least 4 days before and after but a week before and after sounds even better.

[Budget Queen]

30 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

 

 

After such a long flight from the mainland just to get to Hawaii, it makes sense to add some time before and/or after the PoA cruise. 2 weeks sounds great. I would do at least 4 days before and after but a week before and after sounds even better.

It's the  only place I fly Southwest.     I do open jaw,   January 2020  as example,   I flew into Maui-  stayed a week,  Southwest to Honolulu,  a couple days there,   Cruise,   then that day,  I flew to Kona,   and left Kona bay to NY.       Flights are not hard to find at $49,  sometimes will be available at $39.   I've flown with them the last 2 years.   Previous I used Hawaiian Airlines,  and typically was double the cost.   

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, isosika said:

We talked it over and my wife was missing Hawaii and I thought of the Pride of America. 

POA is absolute best way to see Hawaii. You are in port every day. You don’t waste your time at sea sailing from the West Coast. And there are two overnight stops, which gives you the opportunity to do some nighttime shore excursions including a luau. And even a sunrise on top of the volcano, or a bike ride down the volcano.

 

NCL is focused on the contemporary Cruise passenger. Freestyle dining allows you to eat when you’re hungry and when it best fits your schedule especially on those busy port days. Since the contemporary cruiser is interested in doing specialty dining, NCL offers a wide variety of additional-fee Dining options. But, the main dining rooms and complementary restaurants serve wonderful food and you don’t have to spend any of any money on specialty dining. In fact, we better to try some of the Ono (delicious) local foods in Hawaii for your dining experiences.

 

Entertainment on the POA is fine, but not the glitzy Broadway shows you would get on a bigger ship. Being on the POA in Hawaii is the best of all worlds, a floating hotel that allows you to see all of the islands without having to repack every night. 

And yes, spend some time on Oahu before your cruise to get synced with the time zone and recover from that long flight. 

 

Have fun! 

[mconthehighseas]

I am so glad I found this thread!  Thank you to the OP and to everyone who shared info.

We also just booked a cruise on NCL, because our cruise on Royal Caribbean got cancelled totally.  We have been cruising them since we became parents, because they have ships cruising out of a port very close to home, and they have a lot for kids.  

Our TA found us an itinerary that was close to what we had, so I took that as a sign that it was time to try NCL again, even though my old Lattitudes status no longer applies.

I do have a question about the "Dress Up or Not" Nights.  I saw that most of the restaurants are Resort Casual, so I figured that there would not be any formal nights.  Have any of you seen formal wear on NCL on those nights?  I don't have to worry about this right away, but figured that you folks are the right people to ask.

[dexddd]

13 hours ago, mconthehighseas said:

I am so glad I found this thread!  Thank you to the OP and to everyone who shared info.

We also just booked a cruise on NCL, because our cruise on Royal Caribbean got cancelled totally.  We have been cruising them since we became parents, because they have ships cruising out of a port very close to home, and they have a lot for kids.  

Our TA found us an itinerary that was close to what we had, so I took that as a sign that it was time to try NCL again, even though my old Lattitudes status no longer applies.

I do have a question about the "Dress Up or Not" Nights.  I saw that most of the restaurants are Resort Casual, so I figured that there would not be any formal nights.  Have any of you seen formal wear on NCL on those nights?  I don't have to worry about this right away, but figured that you folks are the right people to ask.

You'll maybe see a couple people dressed up, usually it seems they are getting pictures taken in atrium on dress up or not night.

 

Nice jeans, collared shirt, nice shoes or capris with nice top and dressy sandals will get you into any restaurant on any night.

[mconthehighseas]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

You'll maybe see a couple people dressed up, usually it seems they are getting pictures taken in atrium on dress up or not night.

 

Nice jeans, collared shirt, nice shoes or capris with nice top and dressy sandals will get you into any restaurant on any night.

Thank you!

[smplybcause]

20 hours ago, mconthehighseas said:

I do have a question about the "Dress Up or Not" Nights.  I saw that most of the restaurants are Resort Casual, so I figured that there would not be any formal nights.  Have any of you seen formal wear on NCL on those nights?  I don't have to worry about this right away, but figured that you folks are the right people to ask.

 

There will always be people dressed up, how many depends on individual cruise. I was on one with a group of 300 people and the group had a formal night so if you were on that cruise you saw a lot of people dressed up. When I was on an Alaska cruise with them I saw way less formal wear than cruises in the Caribbean. I didn't bring really fancy clothes myself to Alaska because I needed room for warm clothes! Maybe in the middle of the summer more dress up in Alaska?