My LAST NCL Cruise!

[Cruising Ken]

I've not sailed on the Spirit. But this doesn't sound like any NCL cruise I've taken.

I don't drink at all, so all the wine waiters get a polite no thank you. OK some have to be told a few times and yes it does get tiresome. However a few days into the cruise and most of them get the picture and don't even bother to ask.

As for the ships furnishings and interior, from time to time all ships suffer, they are never stood long enough to carry out enough repairs to these items. Maybe you just were in the wrong place on the wrong day.

 

I've also not sailed HAL, mainly due to price, here in UK HAL cruises all quite a bit more expensive than NCL, so I would expect HAL to be better all round. But the other reason I choose NCL is because I prefer Freestyle and I don't mind paying a few dollars more to go in the pay restaurants, when you consider what these cruise lines charge for a decent drink, the pay restaurants are an absolute bargain.

 

 

Freestlye is not for everyone and it does have it's draw backs. If it's not you, that's fine, enjoy your cruising on whichever cruise line is for you.

 

That's why it's good we are all different. Happy cruising in 2008 to all.:)

[Lachase]

This post makes me scared all over again as we wait for our cruise on Majesty on this Friday. We've only been on HAL and have great experiences. Wanted to try something different and all the posts make me fear straying. But, I will try to maintain my high hopes that all will be okay. Surely NCL won't let service get sooooo bad before they do lose all their customers to other lines. At least some people have had good reports. Sorry yours wasn't a good experience, and see ya on HAL sometime!

[newmexicoNita]

Right now i have 2 favorite cruise lines, they are HAL and NCL, and yes, they are at either end of the spectrum. HAL has nicer and larger cabins, better food and great service, overall. They have lousy entertainment, absolutely no energy from the crew down to the passengers, even trivia isn't exciting or fun. We did not think PG was worth the money or as good as some of the specialty dining rooms on NCL. again, this is our opinion. Everything being equal, we still lean toward NCL. Oh, yes, HAL has the wonderful library, but the casinos are small, very unfriendly staff and the slots are the tightest at sea. The line is diffently, in our opinion, for those who want a more subdued cruise experience. If it is an active, fun week or more we love NCL>

 

AS for being pesterned to buy drinks, beer or whatever, we have never had a problem. A no thank you seems to work well.

 

I do hope the OP enjoys his future cruises on HAL> There are many cruise lines out there, obviously NCL isn't for him. I do think it is sad when someone can't find a positive thing to say and yet claims they are really very nice and are easy to please.

 

Nita

[coffeebean]

We have cruised both HAL and NCL and find the lines to be quite at opposite ends of the spectrum. That being said, we loved our cruises on both. HAL staterooms are my favorite out of any of the mainstream lines while NCL cabins IMO leave something to be desired. If you went in with the expectation of a similar experience I could see where you would be frustrated. Not anything wrong with either line, just very different in many ways.

 

I have sailed most of the mass market cruise lines, HAL, NCL, RCCL, Princess, Carnival, Celebrity...The very best bathrooms in a standard stateroom belong to NCL. I love the etched glass shower doors and the ample regtangular sized shower. The large faucet in the sink and separate toilet space is so nice. Not to mention the super hot water and fantastic water pressure on their newer ships.

[deepnite10]

OP..was there anything you liked about NCL..it s only for that reason

i believe you went with the wrong attitude..it s a very rare occasion

where even on a lousy cruise would have their good point s..

 

i ve never allow d one or two bad experince to dictate to me my next

decision on a vacation..the ship s are just too big to be continually

run into the same distraction s..and there are way too many activitie s

we could participate in if we did nt like one or the other..

 

on the other hand if it was just bad thing s i want d to find..i suppose i would overlook all the positive s to fill my diary with negative s..

 

a cruise is like a box of chocolate s:D it s full of nut s and chew s..but if look hard enough you ll find that chocolate cover d fruitcake..:mad:

[jtfire006]

DVRDUDE i counldnt agree with you more, it was the worst cruise for us also, our problems were a little different though, everything you complain of was actually good for us on our cruise, we had other issues. there are quite a lot of people that are not happy with the spirit since she has returned to new orleans. theres a few people on here that think its the best ship ever, but they are the minority. the ship needs a lot of everything, INCLUDING A CRUISE DIRECTOR.

[petesweet]

As I've said on postings before, don't expect a HAL or Celebrity experience on NCL or Carnival.

 

Of course, you can't compare service or food quality between HAL and NCL. HAL is much more superior. It's not that NCL is bad, it's just not as good as as HAL. Maybe I've never had an outstanding meal in NCL's dining rooms, but I've never had a bad either.

 

But, HAL is also much more sedate and passengers tend to be older. I don't think their entertianment is as good. And their pool and deck areas are smaller than I would prefer.

 

And, they don't have all the choice of restaurants that NCL has. I just love being able to dine in a different venue every night as if I were vacationing on land. Even if you don't want to be "nickled and dimed" you have the choice of Italian and Latin for free on most NCL ships, as well as the main dining rooms. If you forked over the $10-$25 for any of the alternative restaurants, you'd get an excellent meal. Let's face it OP, isn't the food in the Pinnacle Grill far superior to the main dining rooms on HAL ships?

 

When people knock the service on any cruise ship (or hotel, resort, restaurant, etc), I have to ask myself, what is their attitude. You will get what you give. Just because people are in service positions, doesn't mean they have to put up with rude demanding guests. A smile and a hello will go a long way.

 

I think the OP went into this cruise with preset notions of what he thought it should be like and was sorely disappointed. As an experienced cruiser, when I'm looking at a ship or a cruise line that I haven't sailed before, I do my homework and try to evaluate all the plusses and minuses to determine if the cruise will be right for me. After having taken 40 cruises, I can say that I have enjoyed everyone of them and have never been disappointed.

 

Well said, Booklady. Please join us at this site: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=676326. You have an engraved invitation.:)

[Retired not Expired]

DVRDUDE i counldnt agree with you more, it was the worst cruise for us also, our problems were a little different though, everything you complain of was actually good for us on our cruise, we had other issues. there are quite a lot of people that are not happy with the spirit since she has returned to new orleans. theres a few people on here that think its the best ship ever, but they are the minority. the ship needs a lot of everything, INCLUDING A CRUISE DIRECTOR.

 

 

Really. How many people on CC has said it is bad and how many has said they enjoyed it? I must be seeing it different than you as I’ve seen most give favorable reviews. In fact, most of the unfavorable ones I’ve seen has come from people who live around the Gulf Coast. I’m not sure why that is. I’ve lived down your way a couple of times for a couple of years at a time when I was in the AF and found the people very likable with similar taste to mine so I don’t believe it is because people from your region has different tastes or a culture that would cause it.

 

Anyway, I don’t believe those that haven’t enjoyed it is in the majority. We had a group of 53 CCer’s on it last month and I didn’t hear one who had any major complaints

 

I am seeing more complaints on all the cruise line boards now than in the past. I believe that is because all the cruise lines have cut some services and expanded what each crew member must do diluting the service they can provide each passenger. I see more coming as the cruise lines redefine cruising to bring in more passengers to fill the large ships they are building. Long time cruisers on most lines are complaining. However, they are still cruising and enjoying themselves.

[CC Help Michell]

I think in general when people have cruised one line exclusively, they have a mental picture that "this is what 'cruising' is." When they choose to try a different line (for whatever reason -- price, schedule, itinerary, family pressure) they worry before they ever embark about whether the experience will "live up to" what they are used to, and (consciously or not) everything about the cruise will then be compared to their "favorite," and frequently found lacking.

 

Looking for a Cunard experience on Princess, or a HAL experience on NCL is just setting up a disappointing vacation. I think all lines have strengths and weaknesses, and I try very hard to have pretty basic expectations of any cruise (a safe experience, a reasonably clean stateroom, reasonably polite staff, reasonably good food) -- give me those and I'm happy as a clam, because I'm not at work, not cooking, not cleaning, etc. Give me MORE than that and I'm thrilled. :)

 

To the OP, I hope your next cruise back on HAL is all you expect -- I gather that you decided to try this NCL cruise based on the departure port (New Orleans) -- sometimes cruising is about choices, and HAL doesn't sail from NO. At least this SHOULD have been a reasonably priced experiment with a different line for you. What a shame you couldn't find anything positive to mention about a cruise vacation, though. :(

[bellacleo]

We, OH or BH as she wants to be called and I just got off the same cruise. The part regarding the pushing of drinks was indeed too accurate. My BH was ready to clobber one guy who came back to our table every minute - I suppose the 15% gratuity is a great incentive. I'm surprised that no one posted regarding the "small fire" that was stopped the engines for at least 15 minutes - yes we were floating in a rainstorm and stiff breeze for 15 minutes. People were on deck with their life jackets on, a bit caucious but passengers and crew were worried. Why did we arrive back in NO an hour and 10 minutes early. I'm surprized she sailed that Sunday PM.

We enjoyed the food and the service was generally very good but very slow that last three days, espec. when the staff stared serving everything. Why did that change I wonder, we have our theories on it.

[CanadianTwosome]

I just can't imagine swearing off an entire cruiseline because of one annoying server and some worn carpet. Wait... I can't imagine swearing off an entire cruiseline at all!! ha ha ha

 

I've seen people mention that if you go on a cruise with expectations of what it 'should' be like, you'll often be disappointed. I go on every cruise with expectations of what I think it should be like... and I'm never disappointed! I think a cruise should be on a ship. It should include plenty of time on the water. It should make some stops at ports that I will hopefully find fun and interesting. It should include accommodations, meals and entertainment. It should include housekeeping better than mine, cooking that I don't have to do (except the family pizza making, of course), and the opportunity to drink without having to drive or call a cab.

 

I could go on... but I think I've made my point. :)

[newmexicoNita]

Really. How many people on CC has said it is bad and how many has said they enjoyed it? I must be seeing it different than you as I’ve seen most give favorable reviews. In fact, most of the unfavorable ones I’ve seen has come from people who live around the Gulf Coast. I’m not sure why that is. I’ve lived down your way a couple of times for a couple of years at a time when I was in the AF and found the people very likable with similar taste to mine so I don’t believe it is because people from your region has different tastes or a culture that would cause it.

 

Anyway, I don’t believe those that haven’t enjoyed it is in the majority. We had a group of 53 CCer’s on it last month and I didn’t hear one who had any major complaints

 

I am seeing more complaints on all the cruise line boards now than in the past. I believe that is because all the cruise lines have cut some services and expanded what each crew member must do diluting the service they can provide each passenger. I see more coming as the cruise lines redefine cruising to bring in more passengers to fill the large ships they are building. Long time cruisers on most lines are complaining. However, they are still cruising and enjoying themselves.

I took 21 on the Star last Sept, only one couple complained and they did. Later, we found out, they told their freinds what a wonderful ship it was and how much fun they had.

 

I love these comments "we heard several complain" or lots of people are posting bad comments. I always check the bios of the complainers, ti is amazing most don't fill in any information about themselves, how many cruises etc. It would be nice to know what their background is, at least a little info so one could judge why they have the negative comments.

 

Nita

[can'twaittogoagain]

To O.P.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise on the Star. If you do, however, like Freestyle cruising, I'd like to put a plug in for giving either the Jewel or the Pearl a chance.

[greywillow]

We were in 5061. Felt like we were in steerage. I wouldn't have been too suprised to find a bag with paint chipping hammers under the bed. Guess you get what you pay for. We went on the cheap this time in anticipation of an Alaska cruise this Spring. On HAL, of course!

Yawn. Our one HAL cruise was nothing special: food, service, cabin, everything. Didn't cost any more than our NCL, Renaissance, or Celebrity cruises, so didn't expect more and didn't get it. Waiter was not helpful at all--and, of course, we were stuck with him every night, along with the dull table companions. Food in main dining room was lukewarm and meats overdone. Entertainment didn't compare with NCL. Room had a goofy layout with beds under the window and love seat next to the bathroom, so there was no way to sit near the window. Did get a useless bathtub designed for tiny people, however.

 

Really don't understand what all the fuss over HAL is about. I guess some are taken in by the little dinner chimes and the silly dress requirements.

 

Enjoy your HAL cruise to Alaska. I'm not a bit jealous.

[Cosmopolitan]

Really don't understand what all the fuss over HAL is about. I guess some are taken in by the little dinner chimes and the silly dress requirements.

 

Thanks for the laugh. Dinner chimes, like the lunch bell in high school:D

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist;)

[hazeleyez3]

Even if you don't want to be "nickled and dimed" you have the choice of Italian and Latin for free on most NCL ships, as well as the main dining rooms. As far as Latin goes... only Mexican dishes. The "tapas" restaurant on the POH doesn't serve tapas. It also had your standard Mexican dishes... nothing you would find in Spain, PR, etc. BIG difference.

 

 

When people knock the service on any cruise ship (or hotel, resort, restaurant, etc), I have to ask myself, what is their attitude. You will get what you give. Just because people are in service positions, doesn't mean they have to put up with rude demanding guests. A smile and a hello will go a long way. It is quite possible that employees are not polite - even if the passenger has a nice attitude. I asked someone a simple question about one of the desserts they were "out of" on the POH. I was told that they no longer had it because they ran out of chocolate and bourban. Seeing as how this was the 4th night of a 7 nt cruise, and alcohol is one of the biggest expenses on a cruise, not to mention that chocolate is a huge dessert anywhere, I asked him if he was sure... his response was anything but nice. Later that night I went down to verify the arrival time at our next port. I explained we had just been to a show where the CD mentioned we'd be arriving at 11:30, but the daily said 9:30. I mentioned that we just wanted to have a better idea of how to plan our day. The response we received was, "its 11:30, you should have figured out its a typo, and I can't do anything about it."

 

 

I think a cruise should be on a ship. It should include plenty of time on the water. It should make some stops at ports that I will hopefully find fun and interesting. It should include accommodations, meals and entertainment. It should include housekeeping better than mine, cooking that I don't have to do (except the family pizza making, of course), and the opportunity to drink without having to drive or call a cab.

I completely agree. What would you do if the housekeeping is much worse than yours - the beds are made, but thats it?

[greywillow]

Thanks for the laugh. Dinner chimes, like the lunch bell in high school:D

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist;)

And, at least when we cruised HAL, you had to eat when they told you to--again, just like high school.

 

Should point out that main courses at dinner in the buffet were cooked to order on HAL, a nice plus, and so were served hot and prepared as you asked (medium rare, etc.)--unlike in the main dining room where they arrived en masse from the kitchen and sat on a counter until everyone at your table finished the prior course.

[Cosmopolitan]

I completely agree. What would you do if the housekeeping is much worse than yours - the beds are made, but thats it?

 

Ask to speak to the head of houskeeping or the HD:)

[greywillow]

As far as Latin goes... only Mexican dishes. The "tapas" restaurant on the POH doesn't serve tapas. It also had your standard Mexican dishes... nothing you would find in Spain, PR, etc. BIG difference.

Another example of why generalizations from one experience can be flawed. The tapas served on Jewel's fall 2006 trans-Atlantic (departing Barcelona) was just superb. The only problem was few passengers seemed to know it was available.

[CanadianTwosome]

I completely agree. What would you do if the housekeeping is much worse than yours - the beds are made, but thats it?

 

Clearly you know nothing about my housekeeping... I don't make my bed!! :)

 

Actually, I have been on working trips where I've had to do preparation in my hotel room and I've told the housekeeping staff not to worry about my room. I would be absolutely fine if my bed didn't get made for an entire cruise. I only wash, change and sleep in my cabin anyway. The housekeeping would have to be pretty much nonexistent for it to bother me. It is a very small space, of course, so I certainly don't mind having the beds made, and things picked up and the garbage emptied. If I ever did have an issue with housekeeping anywhere (hotel, cruise, or otherwise) I would first try to talk to the person assigned to my room (if I could), and if that didn't help, I would contact housekeeping. :)

[CorvetteLady]

Sorry to hear you did not like your cruise. We will be sailing the Spirit in August for our 1st NCL cruise, hopefully it will fit our needs. i know that the setup of the rooms is different and that we could not get conneting rooms because the max was 5 for the 2 rooms.

 

I can say that I will not let the rugs or walls make or break the cruise for us and feel that the food will be fine as we are not 5 star restaurant types but like the good old mom and pop type restaurants so just plain old steak and potatos is fine with me.

 

 

You can forget the plain steak and potatoes, unless you order the sirloin and baked potato every night. We never got plain potatoes, most choices did not even come with potatoes. The sirloin is the alternative selection, I got it the first night and it was overcooked. We ate at Windows every night and there was never a filet mignon.

[Cosmopolitan]

Another example of why generalizations from one experience can be flawed. The tapas served on Jewel's fall 2006 trans-Atlantic (departing Barcelona) was just superb. The only problem was few passengers seemed to know it was available.

 

I agree..on the Dawn and the Jewel...the tapas are on display at the lounge/bar of the Tex-Mex restaurant. Many passengers do not know about it.

 

You can sit in their bar/lounge and have a meal of tapas if you cannot get a reservation in the restaurant.

 

I believe it all comes down to "educating" yourselves on these boards BEFORE you cruise:)

[Don Haynes]

You can forget the plain steak and potatoes, unless you order the sirloin and baked potato every night. We never got plain potatoes, most choices did not even come with potatoes. The sirloin is the alternative selection, I got it the first night and it was overcooked. We ate at Windows every night and there was never a filet mignon.

 

If you wanted a better cut of beef, you should have dined at Cagneys. On my voyage I was happy beef was served every night, along with a fish dish, and I felt great when lamb was offered. I was thrilled a nice juicy hamburger was available at the lido deck grill everyday. Besides I prefer prime rib anyway, a filet is usually too small. You are dining in a continental restaurant, not a steak house.

[hazeleyez3]

Ask to speak to the head of houskeeping or the HD:)

 

Clearly you know nothing about my housekeeping... I don't make my bed!! :)

 

Actually, I have been on working trips where I've had to do preparation in my hotel room and I've told the housekeeping staff not to worry about my room. I would be absolutely fine if my bed didn't get made for an entire cruise. I only wash, change and sleep in my cabin anyway. The housekeeping would have to be pretty much nonexistent for it to bother me. It is a very small space, of course, so I certainly don't mind having the beds made, and things picked up and the garbage emptied. If I ever did have an issue with housekeeping anywhere (hotel, cruise, or otherwise) I would first try to talk to the person assigned to my room (if I could), and if that didn't help, I would contact housekeeping. :)

 

I guess I should have mentioned a bit more. I spoke to my steward first - asked her if she could at least clean the sheets, among other things. When she ignored our request we did speak with the head of housekeeping. Still nothing was done.

 

Another example of why generalizations from one experience can be flawed. The tapas served on Jewel's fall 2006 trans-Atlantic (departing Barcelona) was just superb. The only problem was few passengers seemed to know it was available.

 

Generalizations from one experience may be flawed...which ultimately means that your one experience (leaving out of Spain nontheless) may be flawed as well. The only difference is our thoughts - mine was negative, yours was positive. We went on different ships on different itineraries at different times. Other ships may or may not have tapas.

[dvrdude]

I never said that EVERYTHING was bad. Actually there were several things about the cruise I did like, although not enough to tip my scales in favor of a future like experience.

 

1. DW and I did dine at Windows on "lobster night" and were both impressed with the whole experience. I had the lobster, but alas DW is allergic to shellfish (bummer:( ) and had the Beef Wellington. Thumbs up all around!:)

 

2. Liked the fact that there is a kiddie pool/activity sector separate from the main pool area.

 

3. Loved the Port of embark/debarkation. Honestly, one of the main reasons we booked this cruise.

 

4. Room stewards were great, albeit very visible. They seemed to work non-stop!

 

5. I really thought the "Captains Bridge" thing was interesting. First ship I've ever been on where one can get that kind of look at the bridge.