Question from someone who has never sailed NCL

[shipmate67]

We (my DH and I) are thinking of expanding our cruise experience and trying another line. I have sailed CCL several times and RCI a few times. We like them both very much for different reasons. We now are thinking of trying NCL but know very little about the line.

All right here is my question. What is it that you particularly like about NCL? What made you decide to try NCL the first time?

 

TIA

Danny and Deb

[regardless1]

DH & I have cruised Royal Carib, Carnival, and NCL. We chose NCL because we loved the idea of eating in the dining room at any time and by ourselves.

 

When we cruise, we go to be alone with each other - well, except for our next cruise; four of our best friends are joining us this time! Other times, we have loved that we can eat as a couple instead of with strangers.

 

Also, we have found that we can cruise for cheaper on NCL - a big plus in our eyes! We don't really care where the ship goes and have been happy with the food and entertainment on each line. The price is what has made the decision for the last couple cruises.

 

-Nikki

[CruiseHealing]

About this time last year I was beginning to go through cruising withdrawals, so I had to get my fix. We had cruised CCL, RCCL and Disney, but as I checked upcoming cruises, I noticed that the Pearl was going to have its inaugural cruise for 4 nights in December. Since the kids were out of school two days before we sailed I booked it. The draw for us was that the ship was brand new.

 

I did a lot research on NCL, so I knew what to expect and what not to do. I would say that the theme restaurants were our favorite thing about the cruise line. We enjoyed the ship so much, that we rebooked the same cruise, but for 5 days in December. This cruise will be out first Christmas cruise. I need my fix!

 

When going through cruise withdrawals book a cruise to get . . .

 

CruiseHealing

[cruisingsthebest]

We sail NCL mostly because we really love freestyle dining. DH and I enjoy dining alone while on cruises and we also like being able to dine in the dining room at whatever time we chose. It's difficult for us to do traditional dining at the same time each evening, so when we go on other cruise lines, we seem to end up eating at the buffet every day, which we really don't enjoy as much. We have been on 4 NCL cruises and have never been dissappointed in the food, service, entertainment, or ships. We also seem to be able to get fabulous prices on NCL and perfect destinations. I think you should try NCL at least once to see if it is good for you, I think you will be pleased with them.

[chrisbd1]

First of all we like the price. The price of balcony cabins can't be beat. Second we LOVE freestyle dining. They mean it when they say that the only thing you have to do is get on then get off the ship. My travel companion and I like deciding when and where we will eat. I have done traditional dining but am in love with freestyle. Some don't like the food but I have enjoyed every meal I've had. I've eaten in the main dining room and never had an issue there. I had less than stellar service one night at the Sushi resturant but my issue was resolved quickly and I was even given my dinner for free. That's service!

 

We've only been on NCL's Jewel class ships and think they are beautiful. The staff is super friendly. We were on the Jewel twice, 9 months apart, and the bartender (O'Neill) remembered our names. I've never encountered a crew person who wasn't willing to help whenever they could. Some people rag on the English speaking ability of some of the staff but I have never had a problem understanding anyone.

 

There are some who have cruised other lines and can come up with many reasons not to like NCL but I honestly can't remember ANYTHING that was negative. It could just be that I am low mantainance and am happy to be on board.

 

As for why I choose NCL, our TA had a special on a cruise to the Meditterranean. I keep choosing NCL because of that cruise. I have never been disappointed.

[mexico8]

We have taken a few cruises in the past with HAL and enjoyed it. We booked on the Norwegian Dream this past April because of the itinerary and the price. We found the cruise excellent value. The meals were great and the service very good. Not sure if I love the open dining policy. You meet a lot of different people if you share a table. Recommend you try it.

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

We love to be able to eat whenever we want. You don't have to worry about missing a show to meet your dining time. but don't forget that if you want the best of both worlds, you can dine in the specialty restauraunts and they will ask you if you want to share a table with other people or eat by yourselves.

[chrisbd1]

We have taken a few cruises in the past with HAL and enjoyed it. We booked on the Norwegian Dream this past April because of the itinerary and the price. We found the cruise excellent value. The meals were great and the service very good. Not sure if I love the open dining policy. You meet a lot of different people if you share a table. Recommend you try it.

I'm kinda shy so traditional dining is VERY uncomfortable for me. Freestyle lets me eat in comfort. I'm on a cruise, I like being comfortable :D

[Cruise_More_Often]

What is it that you particularly like about NCL? What made you decide to try NCL the first time?

Tia, we went to a travel agency open house. Representatives were there from several cruiselines. We spoke with one of the travel agency reps, and we told her we had previously cruised with HAL but the one thing we didn't care for was the traditional dining. She led us over to talk with two of her co-workers, who had just returned from a Pacific Coastal cruise on the Sun. They raved about the Sun and all the dining choices available. We picked up a brochure from the NCL rep and booked our first NCL cruise that afternoon.

 

We were so pleased with that cruise that we came home, signed up for the NCL MasterCard, and began accumulating points for our next NCL cruise. We'll be going on our 10th NCL cruise in February. :D

[cantwaitt]

Pros:

 

Eat whenever you want

Don't need to dress up for dinner (no ties or jackets)

Can eat by yourself if that is important to you

Can wait in your stateroom before disembarking

 

 

Cons:

 

Some nights, you must wait for a table in the inclusive dining rooms, sometimes as long as 45 minutes.

 

Don't eat with others if that is important to you (smaller ships let you)

 

Different waiter every evening.

 

Uneven, spotty service in the dining room more common than not (don't believe the NCL-ophiles who INSIST the service is the same)

 

Food items you are accustomed to on cruises are no longer offered in the inclusive restaurants. You now must go to the pay-extra-for-what-used-to-be-included restaurants to get shrimp cocktail, escargot, filet mignon, chilean sea bass, baked alaska, to name just a few.

[babynurse06]

I've become an NCL convert, so maybe my opinion is a little biased but I haven't been on a single non-NCL cruise since my very first one. I leave for my 8th one next Sunday. Before that I sailed CCL, RCCL, Disney twice, and Princess twice, and Holland America. I just love the freestyle dining. I've never had a bad meal on any NCL ship. Have I had better food on other ships? Yes, but the food on NCL is not bad by any stretch of the imagination. I also like that the overall atmosphere on an NCL ship is more relaxed than some of the other lines, but I'm just 24, so maybe that's just my age. I also have found that the staff tend to be much friendlier and more helpful on NCL than other lines, again just my opinion, but I have met some truly wonderful crew members on every NCL ship I've been on. On my honeymoon in Dec. 2003 on the Sun, I got a terrible sinus infection. I was very very sick. Somehow we ended up with the same waitress in the main dining room three nights in a row and she brought me hot tea with honey and lemon every meal even though I didn't ask for it. Our last morning at breakfast, she came over to our table to ask how I was feeling even though she wasn't our server. So, I would highly recommend that you give NCL a chance. If you don't like freestyle cruising, you never have to go again. By the way, they do have baked alaska in the main dining rooms one night per cruise, or at least they did on all my previous NCL cruises, but they don't bring it out flaming and it isn't quite the production that is is on other cruise lines.

[cantwaitt]

Baked Alaska is the latest of a growing list of former staples that no longer are available in the inclusive restaurants.

 

If you want to pay extra for what you already pre-paid, they'll be glad to take your money and give you Baked Alaska and the other stuff cruisers had been accustomed to having.

 

Now, these issues are not major. They are more under the category "NCL, frequent cruisers are aware what you are doing."

 

for me, not having to get on a plane, and not having to pack a suit or tie, let alone wear them, is worth enduring the downside of freestyle and NCL's trimming of former goodies.

[Grandpaul]

It seems to me there are more upsides to freestyle than downsides. A lot of peoples complaints towards it is that you get a different waiter every night. Not true if you want. On a couple cruises we made reservations for the same waiter every night after we liked him the first night. And on one of them we had the same people we met on the first night eat with us. Just like the old style dinner with more options. I find some of their changes to my advantage. The $250 deposit on a future cruise saves me $100 on a current cruise. I'll take it. I do miss my baked Alaska but it goes with any business, if you don't change you're done. I like the size of NCL's ships. I like the courtyard layout. I feel their ships officers are the best. Their casinos are very good(sometimes). Their musicians in the lounges are enjoyable. I'll put their prices against anyone. Etc. Etc.

[shipmate67]

It seems to me there are more upsides to freestyle than downsides. A lot of peoples complaints towards it is that you get a different waiter every night. Not true if you want. On a couple cruises we made reservations for the same waiter every night after we liked him the first night. And on one of them we had the same people we met on the first night eat with us. Just like the old style dinner with more options. I find some of their changes to my advantage. The $250 deposit on a future cruise saves me $100 on a current cruise. I'll take it. I do miss my baked Alaska but it goes with any business, if you don't change you're done. I like the size of NCL's ships. I like the courtyard layout. I feel their ships officers are the best. Their casinos are very good(sometimes). Their musicians in the lounges are enjoyable. I'll put their prices against anyone. Etc. Etc.

 

I have a couple of more questions.

 

1. How long did you have to wait to be seated at one of that waiters tables? Just curious because any wait to recieve great service is worth it.

 

2. What does a couple typically spend in a week for the alternative dining?

 

Thank you, :cool:

Danny and Deb

[AirSea&Rail]

We (my DH and I) are thinking of expanding our cruise experience and trying another line. I have sailed CCL several times and RCI a few times. We like them both very much for different reasons. We now are thinking of trying NCL but know very little about the line.

All right here is my question. What is it that you particularly like about NCL? What made you decide to try NCL the first time?

 

TIA

Danny and Deb

 

Hello Danny & Deb,

 

The thing that I liked about NCL for my first cruise was the fact that they were sailing the S.S. Norway, I am a big ship buff. Now that she is gone I have to think about this. I did not like them at all on my 2nd cruise on the Sun in 2002 and I have stayed away from them for a few years. This was because of the way my party was treated ( 4 of us) during the Sun cruise. Several different things happened to make us feel most un-welcomed. The letter that I wrote to NCL went unanswered to this day. I just now decided to try them again and have booked two cruises one on the Dream and one on the Gem (Great Prices....but do you get what you pay for?) I have decided to give them another try. I am curious to see how it goes. I would have to say that in my opnion that RCI & Princess have the best Loyality perks. I am not inpressed with the "Latitudes" Lack of perks.

 

I like the freestyle seating for meals but I have to admit that if you choose to dress (Black Tie) it is so sad to head to the piano or cigar bar for a brandy after dinner in a Tux and have the guy next to you in a wife beater and a pair of flip-flops. It just breaks the mood and sets a new tone in my mind.

[PianoGary]

We have not been disappointed on an NCL cruise. (But please say that you are not considering NCLA in Hawaii. Yikes!)

Alternative dining is up to you, Danny and Deb. With approx. 10 restaurants on the ship, you don't HAVE to spend the extra for Le Bistro or Cagney's. Remember, there are other options besides the main dining room. Just don't forget to make reservations (we like Endless Summer and the Italian Restaurant - La Trattoria?). Also, we DO, like to dine alone as a couple at least one night, purchase a way-too expensive bottle of wine, and dine at a specialty restaurant. Cost? $50 for wine, $50 for restaurant = total $100. My DW is worth it!

[shipmate67]

We have not been disappointed on an NCL cruise. (But please say that you are not considering NCLA in Hawaii. Yikes!)

Also, we DO, like to dine alone as a couple at least one night, purchase a way-too expensive bottle of wine, and dine at a specialty restaurant. Cost? $50 for wine, $50 for restaurant = total $100. My DW is worth it!

 

 

No we really have no desire to go to Hawaii. We are more the Tahiti and Caribbean type of people. Out of curiosity why did you say Yikes?

;) That was so sweet to say that about your DW.

[PianoGary]

It's only our opinion, but if you search around these threads, you'll soon learn that on the NCLA(America) ships in HI that do not dock in a foreign port, the ship's staff are primarily from the USA. Now - I don't want to open up any can of worms here - let's just say because of the 100% turnover of staff, that service was not as good (IOHO) as that of an "International" staff. Many crew members complained to us during the week of their 'rotten schedule', and comments were made such as 'it's not my job'. Our table mates and we even started making wagers on how many dishes would be dropped and broken in the main dining room each night. Don't get me wrong - this is not USA staff 'bashing'. We truly believe that these crew members just didn't know what they were getting into (long hours, tough job), and they all ended up quitting soon after being employed. Hence, the turnover, hence the questionable service.

It's all a moot point anyway, shipmate67, as it looks like you are considering NCL, not NCLA anyway.

Does that explain the 'yikes'?

[Grandpaul]

Keith

 

You're so right about the Norway. Classy ship.

[MaryTKD]

I thought from the NCL website that unless you wanted one of the "specialty" restaurants, you could pretty much dine anytime anyplace. But I guess that's not the case after reading these boards.

The website states : "Plan on a whim or book everything in advance." Can you book all of your dinner reservations the first day?

Also, can you just "show up" for dinner, or do you have to have a reservation? Seems it's not all that "freestyle" if you have to have a reservation or a 45-minute wait....

("Plan on a whim" - isn't that an oxymoron?)

[VikkiGarcia]

PRICE....We love to sail RCCL but we cannot justify the price difference. Alaska July 2008 for our family of 4. Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas vs. NCL Sun. Almost the same itinerary, port time off slightly. Price difference for same cabin....$2200!! There is no way I can justify spending that much more.

[MrLee]

I thought from the NCL website that unless you wanted one of the "specialty" restaurants, you could pretty much dine anytime anyplace. But I guess that's not the case after reading these boards.

The website states : "Plan on a whim or book everything in advance." Can you book all of your dinner reservations the first day?

Also, can you just "show up" for dinner, or do you have to have a reservation? Seems it's not all that "freestyle" if you have to have a reservation or a 45-minute wait....

("Plan on a whim" - isn't that an oxymoron?)

 

For the main restaurants no reservation is required. For specialty restaurants reservations are "highly recommended".

[DAGVBSB]

We (my DH and I) are thinking of expanding our cruise experience and trying another line. I have sailed CCL several times and RCI a few times. We like them both very much for different reasons. We now are thinking of trying NCL but know very little about the line.

All right here is my question. What is it that you particularly like about NCL? What made you decide to try NCL the first time?

 

TIA

Danny and Deb

 

Easy: Freestyle Cruising. The ability to eat when you want, where you want and with who you want. No assigned dining times, no assigned table mates, choice of restaurants and most importantly, the ability to dress as you want. If you want to dress up you can, or you can wear resort casual every night.

 

Also, the fact that you can stay in your cabin until disembarkation and not be herded like cattle into the public rooms.

[Leafpeeper]

We like the movie theaters on NCL Dawn and Star. We are sailing NCL Pearl next month and look forward to seeing this new ship and trying the bowling alley.

 

Like you, we cruise RCCL and Carnival as well as Princess. We like variety and don't want to see the same theater productions over and over. We love mixing it up.

 

DH said his favorite cruiseline meal was aboard NCL Star at the Japanese Restaurant. We like that half of the NCL restaurants have no fees and the remaining ones have fees range from $10-$20, which is much less than other lines. We love the small and intimate LeBistro (French). The Mexican restaurant is bright and cheerful and near the Atrium.

 

I say go for it and try something new. I would like to take everything we love about each ship and put them all together. I hope you enjoy your next cruise.

[mortysmama]

Vacation is all about doing what you want when you want....and freestyle gives us just that. We'll be taking our 16th cruise, 4th NCL, in May on the Dawn to Bermuda. We've also sailed with Celebrity, Princess, Costa, and Holland. I can honestly say we've never had a bad cruise but some are better than others and for different reasons.

When we are on vacation we love to indulge in a good meal at lunchtime and then a nice afternoon nap or...on port intensive cruises there is always time to totally relax before getting ready for dinner. With freestyle we're never in a hurry to meet a schedule for dinner. With traditional seatings we find that the early is too early and the late is too late. Freestyle just allows a much more relaxed atmosphere.

To be totally honest, I'm not always satisfied with the food on NCL. I find their buffets lacking...but that being said...there are so many places to eat that it really never is a big problem. There's always a place to get a burger and fries. I would definitely give NCL a try. I know I'm looking forward to our cruise in May.